Freedom-fighter physique, rising starlet, big ideas and body-changing info

Freedom-Fighter Physique

I’m currently deployed in Iraq. I wanted to show the American people that even in wartime conditions soldiers still find time to be physically fit. We just recently had a bodybuilding contest, and I placed second in the men’s middleweight class. Supplements I use are MuscleTech, like Aplodan and Cell-Tech Hardcore.
SSG Bennie Lee Crawford Jr.

C Co. 40th Expeditionary Signal Battalion

Editor’s note: You’ve built a great physique in less-than-ideal conditions. Very motivating. We salute you.

Rising Starlet

I don’t write to magazines, but when I saw the photo of Alicia Renee Harris [Lonnie Teper’s Rising Stars, December ’08], I felt compelled. You must do a Hardbody photo layout that features her. What an athletic beauty. She’s got a fresh all-American look that really plays to the camera. She should be in the movies.

Aaron Mason
Atlanta, GA

Big Ideas

I almost missed Ron Harris’ commentary in the December ’08 issue [“Why Not Look Good All the Time?”] because it was toward the back, but I’m glad I didn’t. His words struck a chord, and I’m following his lead. No longer will I “bulk up” over the winter. It’s really just an excuse to eat junk and get fat. Then, when I diet down in the spring, I lose any muscle I may have gained, which probably isn’t a lot anyway. The sensible approach is to stay fairly lean over the winter to stay more motivated to train hard. It won’t be so difficult to get lean in the spring, and I should retain more of the muscle I gain over the winter thanks to heavy workouts. My hat is off to Mr. Harris for his sensible words.

Barry Richardson
Costa Mesa, CA

Editor’s note: Ron also has a lot of sensible words in his new book, Real Bodybuilding, available at www.RonHarrisMuscle.com.

Body-Changing Info

I’m 70 years young and have been weight training for health and fitness for 52 years. I’ve been an IM subscriber since the late 1950s. I train at home and have a very complete home gym with many early-generation Nautilus machines as well as more than 1,500 pounds of free weights. I just wanted Steve Holman and Jonathan Lawson to know that I’ve changed my training programs based on information in their e-zine and articles, and I’ve made much more progress since doing so, more than in the past 20 years. The weights and reps I use now are as much as or more than I was using at age 50. Plus, my physical appearance and fitness levels are as good as or better than 20 years ago. Thank you.

Joe Daly
Cincinnati, OH

Editor’s note: To subscribe to the IM e-zine, written by Holman and Lawson and delivered once or twice a week via e-mail free, visit www.IronManMagazine.com.