Hello Melvin! This is Chad McCrary, the wheelchair competitor from the Little Rock show. I've been thinking about what you told me about pursuing my pro card. First, let me say that I've prayed a lot to God about my circumstances and asked Him to lead me in the right direction as well as place the right people in my path. I love the sport and love to inspire, motivate and touch people's lives. After talking to you and then visiting your website and seeing all the scriptures you have there, I got goose bumps! I think it's awesome that you proclaim your faith in Christ. I'm a Christian myself. I feel as if I'm being pulled in this direction by God to inspire people! This is something I thought would never be possible. But after talking to you, a huge light has gone off over my head! It now seems clear what I should do. I just don't know where to go from here and was wondering if you might have some ideas or maybe some contacts. What can I do at this point to pave the way? I would love to see where this takes me. I look forward to hearing from you. God bless!

This is an e-mail I got from Chad a few days after I met him at a show that I was guest posing at for Chad Nicholls. I found him to be a very inspirational young man and wanted to utilize my space here to give home to some much-deserved props. Chad has been a firefighter/paramedic for the U.S. Army for 10 years and now works as a 911 dispatcher after breaking his back during a motocross jump and losing most of the use of his legs two years ago. He turned to bodybuilding after his injury to give him something positive to focus on. Six months after the accident he entered his first wheelchair division and now has first place honors from the Heart of Texas, Lone Star Classic and most recently, the Arkansas State Championships. Chad's goal now is to win the 2007 NPC Wheelchair Nationals and earn his pro card. "My message is to let people know that no matter how hard life picks you up and slams you back down, you can get back up, dust yourself off and ask, "Is that all you got?" he says. "It's all about overcoming adversity!" Chad feels so strongly about this attitude that he has "overcome" tattooed on his right forearm and "adversity" on the left. He wishes to thank his wife, Erin, and his best friend, John Clack, and would like potential sponsors to know they can contact him at: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or via mail at: 421 Northwest Dr., Wake Village, TX 75501. Keep the faith Chad, and continue to show us that we can only be beaten if we allow it.

My lower back has been a serious hindrance to my training over the last few years. I hurt it while helping my in-laws move in 2001, and it's never been the same since. I went to a chiropractor and got it adjusted a few times, which helped, but I still keep re-injuring it any time I try to squat or deadlift heavy and sometimes, even on overhead presses if I'm not careful and I arch too much. You might say just to not do those exercises, but the only things that seem to keep my legs and back big and full are squats and deads. I want to strengthen my back and wonder if you could please give me a few ideas.

I do have some ideas. I would make a point of working your lower back twice a week. Just make sure it isn't the day before you do either squats or deadlifts. Having a sore lower back when performing those exercises could lead to your worst injury ever. I would rotate between three exercises: a lower-back machine (companies like Nautilus, Life Fitness and Cybex make good models), weighted hyperextensions and good mornings. The machines should be self-explanatory. With the hyperextensions, start with just your bodyweight. Once you're able to do three sets of 15 reps, start adding weight by holding onto a plate, but keep the reps at 15. Eventually, you may get so strong you need to use a short, straight bar or an EZ curl bar loaded up with 150 to 200 pounds. Never jerk your torso to cheat up a rep, or bounce at the bottom. All your reps need to be slow and controlled. Good mornings are done with a bar across your back, as if you were going to squat. Instead, take a deep bow forward, keeping your eyes straight ahead, until your torso is close to parallel to the ground and then stand back up. Definitely use just the bar for a while on this one, as it's the toughest of them all. Never go lower than 12 reps with lower-back exercises, as the risk isn't worth the potential reward. After a couple of months, I bet your lower back is going to be a lot stronger and you'll feel more secure doing your squats and deads. Just don't go thinking you're Superman at that point and do anything dumb! Always warm up properly, make gradual increases in weights from set to set and use good form. Good luck!

My question might sound silly, but I assure you it's sincere. I eat like your typical bodybuilder, six meals a day and about 350 grams of protein per day. I think my nutrition is solid. The only problem is that sometimes I feel guilty eating so much and so well, when I know there are so many people in the world, especially children, who are starving to death; and many more who have barely enough food to survive. Has this ever bothered you? What helps you get past it?

Well, I think that God put everyone here for a reason and it's very hard to accept that people suffer. That being said, you have a responsibility to be all you can be in this world. I get past these hard realities by giving back. I give to the poor and show support to those who are suffering with kind words and encouragement to do and be better. Take care of the blessings God has given you, including food. Lastly, give what you can to these organizations that feed the hungry.

I've always had a very hard time feeling my biceps or triceps work with free-weight movements. For at least the last couple of years, I've used only cables and machines in my arm training. The weights go up, I get pumps and get sore, and I have been growing slowly, but surely. Still, I can't help but doubt what I'm doing every time I read an arm-training article and it says you HAVE to do barbell and dumbbell curls and you HAVE to do skull-crushers and close-grip bench presses. Should I start mixing free weights back in, even if I don't feel them in my muscles when I train?

There are no real rules in bodybuilding except whether something works and you're getting results, no matter how "wrong'" others may view it. Free weights are the best tools for stimulating muscle growth for most people, but that doesn't mean there aren't rare bodybuilders who can use mostly machines and cables and still make excellent gains. I remember an older guy at a gym I used to go to way back in the day who used cables for all his arm exercises, just different angles and different grip attachments. The dude's arms were no joke, either, probably close to 20" and ripped. Some young wannabe bodybuilder went up to him one day and told him he needed to start doing some free weights (no, it wasn't me!), and he laughed at the kid because the old dude's arms were as big as the kid's legs. You don't have to do anything just because it's what most people do. You've found your formula for success, so stick with it. If you get to the point where you aren't seeing results anymore, you could certainly start doing some barbell curls, dumbbell curls, skull-crushers and close-grip bench presses and see if the change jump-starts your arms to grow again. Until that day, keep on doing what you're doing and don't worry about what everyone else does.

I've read that you never do less than eight reps for your sets. Ronnie seems to be the same way- actually he goes more for 12 all the time from what I can tell. But I've also read about pros who, at times, go a lot lower on their reps, such as down to three or four. These are some huge guys, too. So I'm curious as to whether you don't think lower reps can make you grow, or if you just think they're too dangerous.

I think there are a few guys who have an incredible mind-muscle connection; a "neuromuscular efficiency" that allows them to contract a higher percentage of muscle fibers than the average bodybuilder. Someone like that could get a great pump out of six reps when it takes the rest of us 12. But as far as going as low as three or four reps, I seriously doubt it's possible to grow from doing sets like that. The only exception I can think of is if you did your sets back-to-back with just 15 to 30 seconds between, in which case they would really be considered one long rest-pause set of nine to 12 reps. An argument I often hear when going heavier and lower on the reps is that it allows you to get stronger, so you can use more weight in your regular sets of eight to 12 reps. That doesn't make sense to me. Why wouldn't you just try adding a little bit of weight to what you use for your sets of eight to 12? That's what I do. Injury is something we as bodybuilders need to be wary of at all times. Our sport is about developing the physique, not moving the most weight. That's why I feel it's nonsense to be using superheavy weights you can only get for a few reps and put unnecessary strain on your joints and connective tissues. Too many guys have been knocked out of the sport, or at least lost a lot of training time, with muscle tears over the past few years. That alone should tell you that we need to be more careful. I tore my triceps a while back, and I was going out of my mind not being able to work out my upper body. You asked for my advice, so I say, keep your reps above eight and play it safe.

MD Exclusive

Road to the Olympia

Training & Lifestyle Journal- August, 2006

Welcome to the Pros, Mr. Deckard!

Congratulations to Omar Deckard on his Overall USA victory. I think Omar will be a good pro with some continued improvements on his physique. Once his legs are as impressive as his upper body, the guy will be formidable. I've known Omar for many years. I actually competed against him in my first show in 1993 (remember Musclemania, Omar?). He's come a long way and worked very hard over the years to get where he is. I wasn't so pleased about what happened to Lionel Brown. I think he was done a serious injustice by getting second in the heavies. No offense to Mike Ergas, who was due to get his pro card after what happened at the Nationals last year (Mike had a lock on the class, but got royally screwed). But Lionel will rise to the occasion at the North American Championships in just a few weeks. I, along with my friend David Jacobs, have combined our finances to get him there. So look out IFBB, here comes Lionel! It's his turn next.

Training for the Mr. Olympia- Halfway Around the World!

Right now I'm in Kuwait with Dennis James, Branch Warren and Johnnie Jackson. I'm here on a gym appearance. We're all here training for the "O" and staying strict on the diet. Dennis set up this thing to come to Kuwait to train for two and a half weeks at the famous Oxygen Gym owned by Bader Badai, a big bodybuilding fan and patron of the sport. At this point, I honestly have to say this facility is the best gym I have trained at in the world. Money was no object setting this place up, and it has equipment I've never seen anywhere, just phenomenal pieces. There are many people here who I can see (with the right guidance) being very competitive as bodybuilders. I plan to fly home in the midst of all the terrorist plots attempted, so pray for me and wish me luck! I'll be in my best shape to date this time. The Vyo-Tech supplements 17-HD and the new GOAT Whey Protein have really been doing some awesome things to my physique. Along with the guidance of Chad Nicholls and the support of my wife Ivette, I'll be the tiger of the show on the prowl. The pics I've posted showed me at 273 pounds and in very lean condition eight weeks out, so this is not just idle talk. I'm bringing it to Vegas the way my longtime fans have always known I could- bigger, more ripped than ever and with my shape and tiny waist intact. It's gonna be a battle!

Thanks to all of you who have been offering your positive encouragement through my web site, www.melvinanthony.com. I appreciate the love I get from you all.

Got a question for Melvin? Contact him through the "Ask MD" section of www.musculardevelopment.com.