PEAK PERFORMANCE SEASON - gettin ready for Carnival!

Last year I became a health nut for a number of reasons: health concerns, a "medical situation," high cholesterol, hereditary traits, trips to Miami, Jamaica & Trinidad, 300 - just to name a few. I realized that I've been in my "Off Season" for too long and have fallen TERRIBLY out of shape (to each his own, everyone has their own standards). I lost a total of 15 lbs of body mass. Time to get back peak performance. Winter and Summer is the death of fitness to even the most die hard fitness junkies and gym rats. Everyone runs to the gym in the spring, but its harder to stay there when you'd rather be doing something out in the sun. And as the weather gets colder, unless the gym is in your job, school or building, it takes olympic gold medal discipline to keep it up............or really huge goals....

In less than three months I'll be going back to Trinidad to play mass in Carnival 2k9. There is no font nor exclamation in english, arabic, hebrew, mandarin or germaic that can express my level of excitement. I went last year and I must say it was arguably the BEST week of my life. I only say arguably bc I'm leaving some room for error in the event that I'm forgetting some super phenom that happened to have slipped my mind. I mean, sure graduation is ahsum.....weddings.....relationship things..... maybe for a day or two......BUT SUN!!!!! This whole backside week was just pure and unadulterated fun!

I mean seriously! (did I say that already...nope) Every single day was paradise and bliss. We ate like vikings on some of the most exotic tasty cuisines, drank until we were no longer capable of intoxication (btw, STAG- "A man's beer"- is the greatest beer ever brewed...and I loathe beer) , danced, partied and limed all day - "lime" is a West Indian term for "chill" but more carefree if you can imagine.

Here are a few tips for optimum fun if you go. Now I can't guarantee that everyone who goes will have as much a blast (although I can't imagine how you can possibly noz that up) but the key for me were the ppl we went down with. Nothing was planned until we got there, but we had two locals with us who knew where and what everything was (note to self....for optimum fun, travel with at least 2 locals who know the place, not just someone who lived there 8 yrs ago). Here was the basic planning process...."hey wanna do this? Sure why not? Aiigh, coo!" SEEMLESS!! (note to self.... for optimum fun, travel with drama free, attitude free easy-going ppl)

"OKAY. So Raphael, why is there a half nekked guy on your page lookin like a black ass spartan?"

EXCELLENT QUESTION LITTLE TIMMY!!!!

SO this is the costume of the section that I'm playing with with the band TRIBE!! The name of the section is "Pheasant" and this is the male costume....I'll post the female costume later for future motivation. So on Carnival Tuesday, I'll be jumping down the road dressed like this... but with shoes on.


Now last year I played with Tribe as well, in a section called "Black Magic"


<------------------------and this was the costume, photo courtesy of TRIBE. I made this my facebook profile on September 5th, and from that date I never missed a week in the gym for over a year. My goal was to TRUMP this dude's physique in the photo and look way sexier than he did. And that was a very good motivator, as I said in Staying Motivated in the Gym....Part 1,
"1: get a clear mental image of what you want your body to look like.."

.........but this year.............

I don't know if the ppl at TRIBE watched "300" as often as I did, but these models this year?............. Talk about dangling a carrot [PAUSE]. Looks like I got my work cut out for me this year, bc this dude has more lean and definition than mass......... Me grimlock need new strategy. I'm working on a plan to combat this. Stay tuned and I'll keep yall posted on my 90 day regimen.........