Hello Everyone out there in Musclemania Land!

It has been a little while since I've updated to say the least (over a year!!) - so let me catch you up with what's been going on.

First off, let me send a shout out to everybody in Tennessee - from where my girlfriend originates, especially her mother, Mrs. Betty Taylor, Toni Taylor and the rest of the Taylor clan, to which I visited this past Thanksgiving and last Christmas. If you are ever in TN, and you want to train at a good, no-nonsense gym, and like some old school equipment, check out Hermitage Fitness (http://www.realpagessites.com/hermitagefitness/index.html). To some of you it may not be fancy enough, but I like gyms that are well equipped with good, quality content as opposed to flashy atmosphere. But I must say, the new Golds, down the road from Hermitage Fitness, is something to see, even though it's the complete antithesis to Hermitage.

I competed this summer in the Musclemania New York, as some of you may or may not know, placing Third in the Middleweights. Unfortunately, I did not start my diet early enough and was not anywhere close to being as hard as I needed to be. But, as the accompanying pictures display, in my last couple of contest outings in another drug-free organization, I feel that I vastly improved, with a Runner-up and a Third place in those shows.

I am now approaching one month into my off-season training, and I'm having fun embarking on yet another HIT regimen with my training partner, Natasha Taylor. It is based on that which is outlined in Ellington Darden's latest HIT book entitled "The New High Intensity Training." I urge anyone interested, even slightly, in intense training or maximizing their time in the gym, to check out this or any of his other books. I really believe in this stuff.

I plan to start my diet at the beginning of April and to attend the Superbody. More than likely, I will not compete, though I intend to be in good enough shape to do some photo shoots. In August, I will return to competition in the Musclemania New York.

I'd like to say "Hi" to my sister, Robin, my parents, Lou, Kenny, Chris, Brady, and the peeps at NYSC. Look out for big Nick in '06...[wink, wink]

Have a great Holiday and try drinking a little aloe after eating a lot of crap - and save some for me!

BTW, the cat I'm boxing in one of the new pics is our new friend, Charlie, whom we more frequently call by a slightly obscene phrase (I'll give you a hint - the first word rhymes with "kitty" and it describes a "twisting" of a part of the chest).

Sam

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