Introduction

Hello everyone,

Just looking at creating a little blog for my site but I currently do not have any structured plans on what the topics will be. Most likely I will cover my workout philosophies, training routines and may put up a few polls on some up and coming artwork to see what you think.

For those of you that do not know me my name is Gerald Gore and I am a bodybuilding artist from Texas. I have pretty much been doodling and drawing things for the majority of my life (for as long as I can remember). Over the past few years I had gotten away from drawing so I am now re-teaching myself or should I say re-training myself to draw again. A little over a year ago I had completely by accident discovered sculpting and have been a avid sculptor since (which happens to be my favorite form of art). If I look back at my artwork over the last 15 or so years the one thing that is consistent with the majority of it is that I love to draw muscular physiques (yea I do some wildlife stuff now too but the majority of my stuff has bulging muscles). I believe that a muscular physique is a form of perfection and a wonderful subject matter to either capture on paper or in clay.

Bodybuilding background -

I started lifting weights back in 1986 (I was 13 years old). At the time I was 82 pounds (yes 82 pounds) and quite the amusement of others. I never could understand the bully concept and especially with me being a pretty shy and introverted kid I took it personally. I knew at that time lifting weights would change my life but it did take some time for me to start putting on some size. I really didn't start showing results until three years after I started lifting (partially due to the fact that I had no clue on what I was doing). I entered my first bodybuilding show when I was 18 years old and weighed in a whopping 138 pounds. I was really shredded to the bone and took fifth place against some bigger guys. A year later I competed in the same show and took 2nd place at 150 pounds. Three weeks later I finally won my first show (class and overall title). The funny thing about that show is that I told one of the other competitors that I wanted to do another show later in the summer about ten pounds heavier. He pretty much told me not to get my hopes up and I ended competing four months later at an eleven-pound increase in bodyweight (man I love to prove people wrong when the doubt me - maybe it stems back from the bully days). I ended up winning the teen heavyweight and overall title at that show too.

Well, fast forward eight years later I had finished college (graduated from Baylor in 1995), got married, had a little girl and took on the task of doing my first novice show. I was around 28% body fat when I decided to do this show so I had to do a six and a half month diet. Same story as before, people laughed at the idea of me competing, I went and did the show, won the light-heavyweight class and overall title. I did another show five months later but over dieted and came in third place. I really wanted to do the Jr. Nationals in the following year and forced myself to compete five weeks later. My heart wasn't into the third show and I came in holding water and in the worse shape of my life but still pulled off a fourth place finish. At that point I had been dieting for almost a year straight and really needed a break. Unfortunately that break has turned into another long hiatus and I haven't competed since. My wife and I have had another child (little boy this time) and I have just let life give me an excuse not to be focused. The past year and a half I probably have spent more time out of the gym than in the gym. Over the past month or so I have been re-bitten by the bodybuilding bug and I am now setting my sites to maybe do a show late 2006.

I have found that you cannot truly be happy unless you recognize and embrace who you really are. The bottom line is that I am a bodybuilder by birth and that by avoiding that I have created an emptiness in my life. It feels good to get back on track and embrace the new challenges ahead of me. I hope you enjoy this blog as it grows and I hope that it as well as my artwork adds some enjoyment to your life.

All the best,

Gerald Gore
www.ironbodies.com