A Little About Myself

Hello, everyone.  My name is Ed Burrese, owner.

When I was around 8 years old , I received by first Muscle and Fitness magazine, Ron Love was on the cover of it.  Also, at this time Arnold Schwarzenegger was Conan and Lou Fregno was the Hulk.  Their size and mass were amazing.   I reread the muscle mag. over and studied the pictures.  As a little kid, I had no idea how to gain this type of mass.

As a teenager, I learned hard work by cutting and splitting wood to heat our home.  This type of work would follow me through my youth and all my adulthood.  I gained strength from the physical labor, that would help me through my youth sports career.  I played football, wrestling, and baseball until I was 18.  At age 16, I found the gym during the summertime training for the local high school football team.   A new face, in an old school, the general manager for the football team wanted to see what i had to offer.  I was 6' and a solid 170 lb kid.  I was able to put up a bench of 275 lbs and  a 405 lb squat, and a 375 lb clean and jerk.  That summer I fell in love with working out and getting stronger.  Wrestling was my favorite sport of them all.  I trained to be faster and stronger.  Wrestling taught me work ethics that would follow me into becoming a bodybuilder.  Collegiate wrestling to me is very similar to bodybuilding, train with the best, to bring out the best in you.   Its only you on the stage or mat, being familiar with the suck and the what type of work is to be expected.  Knowing to be the best, you must show up 100% of the time.

Fast forward to 1995...married at the age of 19 with a beautiful baby girl and a beautiful 22 year old wife.  My first real job after being married was a sawmill job, where I utilized the work ethics I had learned in my earlier years, making the sawmill life kind of fun.  Never be afraid to the job that no one else wants to do, a great philosophy I learned at the sawmill.  Not long after starting my sawmill career, I would find myself back in the gym, working out to make my life at work easier.  The stronger I got, the longer I could do with less effort.  At 20 years of age, at a thin 175 lbs, my first BMI after six months was 10% body fat at 180 lbs.  My first solid year of training, I gained 30 lbs of muscle.  It would take me a few years to fully understand the value of having a good nutritional plan in place.  I always thought, well in the guys in prison get big on a mediocre diet, why can't I get big with the food I am eating.  Nutrition would later become my achilles.  I can happily say I have been training for 25 years.  I don't consider myself a big guy.  Nor do I think I will ever be big enough.  My best lifts came to me  when I was 35 years old:  Best dead lift - 605 lbs, Best bench 450 lbs, Best squat: 550 lbs.  Pulled 500 lbs at age 44, just to see if I could still do it.

My best advice  - your food intake , if your 15-21 years of age.  The only thing you need is a comfy bed and food.  If you don't know what and how to eat, hire a IFBB pro to teach you.  Be willing to cry, puke, and die in the gym.  If you can't afford a coach, mow lawns and wash cars to make enough to learn what the correct diet means and what it is suppose to do.  For guys and gals over 21,  I say the only thing you want to add is quality protein powder, bcca, and high multi-vitamin.  For guys and gals, 30-40 yrs, you should have a good handle on your body.  Here's the tricky part, what worked for you 10 years ago, won't work for you now.  For some, there will be exceptions to the rule.  You're a chemistry set, play with it, make small adjustments, let the micro show you.  If your on social media, follow someone with your height and build that you inspire to have.  Definitely don't be afraid to ask questions for fear of being made fun of.  Have a good support system, family and friends.  Lastly, a few of my favorite body builders are:  

 Shawn Ray, Flex Wheeler,  Jay Cutler, Ronnie Colman, Kai Greene, Phil Heath, David Henry, Flex Lewis, Juan Moral, and Seth Feroce.  I will forever be a bodybuilding fan.