2:04:09

Hey Everyone,

Big things poppin' right now! First of all I want you all to know that I sent off my first article to Muscular Development and the boss himself (Steve Blechman) told me he loved it so I hope you all really enjoy it. The article will be appearing in the April issue of MD, so don't miss it. My goal is to write articles that are thought provoking and are about issues that haven't been covered yet, or at least cover old issues from a new angle. Either way, I promise it won't be the same old regurgitated crap that I'm sure everyone get's tired of reading.

In other news Isabel and I will be attending the Arnold Classic this year along with the rest of Team Scivation! Please come to the Scivation booth and say hello. As anyone who has meet me at the expo previously knows, I am more than happy to take pictures with people, sign stuff, and just have a conversation. I don't think my mouth stops moving the whole time when I'm in the booth! I just love talking to the fans of the sport and people who have a thirst for knowledge. I will also have copies of my DVD at the booth for the pre-sale price ($25) so if you want one just let me or Isabel know. Speaking of Isabel, she is 4 weeks into her contest prep and she is doing FANTASTIC. She's lost almost 5 lbs and about an inch off her hips/thighs already. She was flaring her lats the other day in the mirror and I've gotta tell ya, I hardly see lats on male bodybuilders that big. She has definitely earned her nickname: "The LATin Assasin!"

In other news, I have finally decided to take the plunge and enter a powerlifting meet. I will be doing the APA Crush Cupid meet in Plainfield, IN on February 14th. I will only be doing deadlift and squat as my pec, while much better than before, is not 100% and even if it was I'm just not sure I'd have the nerve to get under a heavy bench press. My personal bests in the squat and deadlift are 515 lbs and 630 lbs respectively. I will be entering in the 220 lb class. I am about 225 lbs now so I am just going to carb deplete a few days beforehand, weigh in the day before, and then add back in energy before the meet. My only goal is to go in and have fun. It's been so long since I've competed in anything, I am just really excited about having the oppertunity to challenge myself in a competition setting again! So if you are in the area of Plainfield, IN and want to see me try my first shot at this, feel free to come out! I'd appreciate the support!

Hope to see many of you at the Arnold!

-Layne