Sweeney's News

The Women of Team Sweeney

April 24th 2010

Photo's of the mens bodybuilding will be posted in a couple of weeks.

Wisconsin Natural Bodybuilding

Fit Body & Figure Championships

This show will be held on April 24, 2010, at the Monona Grove High School, 4400 Monona Drive, Madison.

Date: Saturday, April 24, 2010

Place: E.F. Schwan Performing Arts Center at Monona Grove High School, 4400 Monona Drive, Madison, Wisconsin

Schedule: Check-in 11:00-12:00pm (sharp). Pre-judging 1:00 pm Finals: 6:00 pm (free-posing and awards)

Posing: Bodybuilding - mandatory poses and symmetry at pre-judging; maximum 90 second

free-posing at finals. Figure - standard quarter turn comparisons and T-walk at

pre-judging and finals. Fit Body - five mandatory poses at pre-judging and finals.

Testing: Contestants must be free of strength and growth inducing drugs and prescription diuretics for 7 years prior to the contest.

All contestants will be tested by polygraph and/or urinalysis. Contestants will pay a testing fee of $40.00 directly to the tester at the time of the test. All results will be final. If you are unsure of banned substances please visit the INBF website

Awards: 1st through 5th place in each class. Best Posing routine awards for Men’s

and Women’s bodybuilding. The men’s and women’s open division overall

bodybuilding champions, fit body and figure champions will receive a

WNBF professional card, provided there are at least 5 people in the division.

Pictures and article to be published in Natural Bodybuilding & Fitness

Magazine.

Question: What is Team Sweeney?

Answer: Team Sweeney is a group of everyday men and women training to compete in Wisconsin’s largest natural bodybuilding and figure competition. The men and women of Team Sweeney are training for more then just a beach body. You need to keep in mind Team Sweeney is made up of mostly men and women who have never trained for a show before. This takes hours each day in the gym and a very strict eating regimen. I’m very proud of our members here at Sweeney’s Gym who stepped up to try something they at one time said they could not do. Team Sweeney will compete April 24^th in Madison WI.

Mike Sweeney Update:

January 4^th I weighed in at 203 pounds after eating every cookie in sight from the holidays. After competition training started I weight trained 5 days a week and did cardio 6 days a week with one day off. February 1^st I weighed in at 193 pounds which is not so bad; ten pounds in four weeks. My goal is not to lose a lot of weight like my last show. My last show I only trained 6 weeks and lost 30 pounds! Because I lost so much weight so fast I also lost a lot of muscle. Now I’m working very hard to put the size back on and reach my goal of a 29 inch waist. I’m not sure if a 29 inch waist can be done on my body but I will try my best to see how small I can get it. March 1, 2010 my waist is down from 34 inches to 31 inches which is ½ inch smaller then my last show!

January 1^st 2010 203 pounds February 1^st 2010 193 pounds

Just some of Team Sweeney, January 17, 2010.

Want to join Team Sweeney? You can, just call us at 414-769-0772 ask for Mike.

Our Sponsor for Team Sweeney 2010

Carmex

January 1, 2010

Members of Team Sweeney 2010

Women:

Karen & Stacy

*Karen Sweeney age: 42 (Training for Figure & Bodybuilding)

I struggled with a weight issue in my 20’s and early part of my 30’s due to hypothyroidism brought on by stress in conjunction with heredity. In my mid 30’s I got a divorce, lost weight and started to go to the gym again to “tone up”, only to find out what a rush I got from working out! I met Mike shortly thereafter and he taught me how to work out to get the best results. He taught me a lot about not only working out, but confidence and self-esteem. Needless to say, I fell in love with my trainer! We got married, became a blended family and then we had our 3^rd child. We have the perfect family with 3 amazing, and adorable, boys (Brandon, Maxwell & Connor) and the most wonderful life, but I started to feel like I needed something more. I had never felt the urge or need to be the center of attention, but after Mike started training for his show in October 2009, I got the itch. I told Mike I wanted to do the competition in April 2010 and he was behind me 100%. At first, I wanted to do it alone and for me to be the center of attention, but Mike had other plans. Team Sweeney was formed with an amazing group of people, all with different reasons for doing the competition, but all to go out there and do their best. Go Team Sweeney!

Karen L. Sweeney

Susan Schmitt age: 49 (Training for Figure & Bodybuilding)

*Stacy Ruscheinsky age: 33 (Training for Figure & Bodybuilding)

This challenge represents something that I’ve always admired and wanted to do but was too lazy, busy or scared to pursue. I always had an excuse for not participating in a bodybuilding/fitness competition until you asked if I wanted to join Team Sweeney. Apparently this is the right time to start something I never thought I could achieve! The bodybuilder physique has always been attractive to me; I just thought I didn’t have the right tools to accomplish the end result. Now that there is a team of us, it doesn’t seem so overwhelming, and I am looking forward to checking this off the bucket list!

*Kathy Miksa age: 40 (Training for Figure)

I'm not necessarily an outgoing person, but the past couple of years have been a time of growth mentally. Some serious health issues and a divorce made me take a good look at how I was feeling about myself and I knew it was time for a change. I've been working out regularly and every time I leave the gym I feel renewed and stronger inside and out.

I think this competition would be proof to me and others around me that I am a new person; more confident, stronger personally and in better health than I've been in years.

*Jen Hurst age: 32 (Training for Figure)

I want to experience metamorphosis

*Kathy Oaks age: 49 (Training for Figure)

My fitness journey started 10 years ago - I was determined to get healthy. I hadn't worked out at all in my 30s and felt unhealthy. My feet hurt, legs hurt, I was always tired and lacked confidence. I knew what an unhealthy life style could lead to and I did not want that for myself, nor, especially, for my kids. I witnessed family members health deterioriating due to poor diet and no exercise. I was determined to make by 40s healthy and it happened! I went from a size 12 down to a size 2. Not only did I loose weight, I did more than I thought I ever would...I was asked to teach fitness and the idea wowed me despite having major reservations. Me, a fitness instructor?!! I secretively always wanted to. It wasn't easy from an emotional standpoint because I lacked self confidence and thought I was too old. Well, the opposite was true...I was chronologically one of the younger ones at the certification workshops plus nobody is ever too old!!! Now that I'm about to turn 50, I want to take it up a significant knotch and Mike put that idea in my head when he asked me to join Team Sweeney, I was all for it. Again, though, I thought that I wasn't figure competition material. Me in a a figure competition?!! I never thought of myself as a candidate for such a thing regardless of age. Well, I'll never know unless I try and Mike says I can, plus I know we all can change if we really want to! I'm now a size 4, 115 pounds and while not overweight, I'm "skinny fat" (cholesterol is 245) due to a high bodyfat percentage I want to change for the better and preparing for this competition will get me to where I want to be! Overall, I'm doing this for my mind. "We do not stop exercising because we grow old - we grow old because we stop exercising." - Dr. Kenneth Cooper

Men:

Michael Sweeney age: 30 (Training for Bodybuilding Middle weight)

*Tom Kysely age: 50 (Training for Bodybuilding *Masters)

*Craig Kasprovich age: 52 (Training for Bodybuilding *Masters)

Jim Swenson age: 39 (Training for Bodybuilding Heavy weight)

My reasoning for doing this competition, to get my body in shape with the physique I've longed for for a long time. Also, I just turnrd 39 and would like to start my forties with a new bodybuilding trophy.

I started my diet that Mr. Sweeney put me on 1/4/10 at a weight of 263lbs. I lost eight and a half pounds after the first week. In the second week, I lost four pounds. My goal is to lose three to four pounds per week to reach my goal weight of two hundred pounds at competition time.

*Nate Studer age: 18 (Training for Bodybuilding *Teen Middle weight)

*Emil Hurst age: 49 (Training for Bodybuilding Light weight)

My starting weight is 165 lbs 99% extra lean USDA Choice muscle, not bad for 49 years of age.

*First time ever doing a figure or bodybuilding show.

Team Sweeney will be training for a show that takes place April 24, 2010.

Keep checking back with us on this page to find out more about Team Sweeney and their stats.

January 1, 2010

I need to first tell you that I was not going to post the two current pictures. Why? Because I’m embarrassed about how I look, since only two months ago I was on stage showing off some good looking muscle. Then I got to thinking about how everyone always tells me how easy it is for me to look the way I do because I own a gym, LOL.

Well, reality check! Since November 8^th, my birthday I have not said no to any kind of food that was put in front of me. Now, could I have said no or just had one cookie and not the whole platter, sure. How about all the Ann’s Pizza that I have eaten, chocolate, loafs of bread and lots of wine. My lists of foods are endless and full of bad carbs and sugars. See, just like you, we all have the power to say no or just have one piece of something, instead of waist popping proportions.

Why can’t we say NO? It’s mind over matter. If you don’t set a goal you have no reason to say no! After my last show I set a goal for January 4, 2010 to start training for my next show in April. I never had any goals set starting at the end of October, November and December. As you can see that fat thing is not working well for me and I’m sure the fat thing is not going over so well for you either.

Well, you have two choices: One, you can point blame and cry about how fat you are or two you can make change by getting your goals mapped out starting today. What, you’re still not ready to set your goals yet? Maybe you should take a picture of yourself like I did, ready now?

In closing, keep coming back to Sweeney’s News page because team Sweeney will be kicking off with a team of women and men training for their first figure and body building show in April.

*Two ½ Months of eating what ever and a lot of it! Plus, this is me not working out for one week to top it off because I was and am very sick with a cold right now. *Lets hope I clean up well?

December 1, 2009

Hey Christmas Cookie!!! Is that fat thing working for you, or are you having problems donning that gay apparel? You are now done giving thanks to what makes that last button pop!! Thanksgiving is here and gone, and Christmas is right around the corner, so you ask yourself, why start working out now, when I will just eat nothing but chips, dip, and Cookies!!!!!! Starting a workout program before the holidays is a good idea. Everyone will eat something fattening at this time of year. You need to incorporate a good Cardio workout to off set all the excessive calories you’ll will be taking in. So if you’re going to pick up that cookie, you will need some extra Cardio, to ensure the Holidays don’t get the best of your bulge.

Okay, let’s be realistic! There is not a lot of time to fit something new into your already busy holiday schedule. So let’s keep it simple. Keep in mind, more is not always better and some thing is always better then nothing.

Week One: If you are a beginner, start off on the bike or a treadmill. You will do these only three days a week for the first week.

Treadmill: 20 minutes / 3.0 - 4.0 on the speed no incline.

Bike: 20 minutes / Residence of 3.0-5.0

Week Two: This week you will increase the length of time and nothing else.

Treadmill/Bike increase your time to 25 minutes.

Week Three: This week you will increase time, speed & resistance.

Treadmill 30 minutes / 3.5 - 4.5 Incline of a 6.0

Bike 30 minutes / 5.0 – 8.0

Week Four: This may be a hard week to get to the gym so I have plan A & B.

Three days a week, 35 minutes, same Resistance/Incline as week three.
Two days a week, 45 minutes, same Resistance/Incline as week three.

Once again, the idea is to have you get started. I’m not going to talk about nutrition until January. Baby steps: you have to crawl before you walk…

Question: Jill asked me if when girls train hard with weights, can they get as big as men

Answer: NO, women just do not have enough hormone in there body to do so. Women still can get muscular with the right training just not as big as a man.

Happy Holidays from the staff at Sweeney’s Gym. Live life to your full potential.

November 2, 2009

November is my Birthday month and I want to give back to all of the current and soon to be new members of Sweeney's Gym. In November I will be taking care of the ones who have taken care of me and Sweeney's Gym.

It's starting to get cold outside, so let Sweeney's Gym Heat things up with Free Tanning for everyone in the month of November! The rules are simple; all you need is to be a current Sweeney's Gym member, that's it! Not a member yet, no worries, sign up in November and I will take away any joining fees, card fees, blah, blah and blah fees.

So how much will a membership cost? You can get started with Sweeney's Gym, which includes 24-7 access, for only $39.99 per month. But wait, if you're a full-time or part-time student, I know those books are not cheap, how does $19.95 for 24-7 access sound for you?

I still think that's not good enough for our elite members of Sweeney's Gym. How about 30% to 50% off Met-Rx supplement products till the end of the year? Now that's a huge savings for just taking care of your body, and you're saving money for the holidays, which are right around the corner.

Enjoy your new tan and supplements at a great price!

Thank you!

We appreciate your business.

Customers like you make doing business a real pleasure.

Michael Sweeney

October 15, 2009 update

The big question on everyone’s minds… Did I make the weight class I was shooting for? Well, Friday night I still weighted in at 176.8 lbs. which was still high. The weight cut-off was 176 lbs. to be able to compete with the middleweights. I still needed to lose just a little more. The game plan was to not eat or drink anything until I checked in the day of the show, which was Saturday, October 10, at 12:00 p.m. I arrived in Madison much too early that day for drug testing at 9:30a.m., so I was very depleted. The game plan worked as I came in at 173 lbs. That’s the good news. The bad news is that since I was so worried about my weight, I forgot about how depleted I was and didn’t plan a high enough food and water intake for the rest of the day to give my muscles back their life to be able to show them off!

At pre-judging, (2pm) I looked okay, but still flat and holding water in my mid-section because of the fasting I did earlier. Also, another oops was during my last week of training I tried something new in my diet, which was to cut my sodium intake to 500mgs in an effort to stay dry. This worked in reverse for me, as it was too low and it made me hold water. On top of the fast, it just wasn’t the right combination. After the pre-judging was over I had time to rest, instead, what I should have done was eat a big pizza as my body was shot, it needed a big boost and I didn’t plan on that. Since it wasn’t in the plan, I didn’t bring the right food and enough of it for the whole day. The finals began at 830p.m. and my muscles had nothing left. They looked flat, flat, flat and smooth as a fat kid in dodge ball. After the night was over I looked back on a 4^th place plaque, 29 pound weight loss in 6 weeks and a journey many could not have done. I’m very humble and gratefully I was able to do this show to learn from it and not to be afraid to try something new. My next Show is April 24, 2010. I will be moving up in weight class and training for Mr. Wisconsin. My wife, Karen, will also be training for the show as a figure and women’s bodybuilding competitor. We are both training to win it all!! Training starts now!

High Lights:

ü 4^th place
ü Only 6 weeks of training
ü 29 pound weight loss in 6 weeks
ü Since January 2009 - 42 pounds lost
ü Tried something new in dieting, cardio and weight training, some things worked and some did not.

For all Bodybuilding photos click on picture below!

October 8, 2009

Starting weight today:

4:30am 179.9 Lbs.

6:30am 178.8 Lbs.

4:30pm 176.8 Lbs.

Total weight loss today: 3.1 pounds

**Total weight loss since August 31, 25.5 pounds!

Where Are my CARBS!!!!

Still holding water on my lower abs. The idea is, the carb load will pull the water out of my lower abs Friday night?

October 3, 2009 183.8 Lbs. 3 New Pictures below

8.8 pounds to go to reach my goal of 175 Lbs. I have one more week, O-boy! The Show must go on.

September 28, 2009

Well what can I say I just may know what I'm doing after all? After week three I thought I was over training and under eating only losing 1.8 pounds. I was not happy but then again I did lose 1 whole inch in my waist! In week four I added more calories to my diet to help keep my body with it's right balance of out-put verse in-put and increased my CLA intake.

September 19th I felt that my body was run down. I have been training every day since August 31 which is a lot. Remember, time is not on my side so no time for a day off. I did what I felt was the next best thing and on Saturday the 19th I had a peanut butter banana jelly sandwich on white bread. This tasted sooo good! This gave my body a jump start back into balance, faking it out thinking it's been rested for days. Keep in mind sometime your body will only make changes if you make the change to your body. You must keep your body guessing, never fall into the rut of doing the same thing time and time again. Did this pay off for me in week four? I'm now down 3.8 pounds and another 1 inch in my waist for a total weight of 186.2 pounds! Next update will be the list of foods I have been eating for the past 5 weeks.

Weight loss: Starting August 31, 2009 202.3 Lbs.

Week One: 6.9 pounds, waist line 34 inches

Week Two: 3.6 pounds, waist line 34 inches

Week Three: 1.8 pounds, waist line 33 inches

Week Four: 3.8 pounds, waist line 32 inches

Week Five: 2.4 pounds, waist line 31.5 inches

*Measurement of the waist is taken across the love handles and in line with my belly button.

September 21, 2009

Sweeney's Gym in partnership with American Red Cross.

The American Red Cross provides relief to victims of disasters and helps people prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies. Come into Sweeney's Gym and drop off your old cell phone to help ARC achieve their fundraising goals to continue their good work in your community!

September 21, 2009

Good News, Bad News?

Well, three weeks have gone by fast and for the first two weeks the weight went off nice and fast, but that’s not the case for week three.

Weight loss: Starting Weight August 31, 2009 202.3 Lbs.

Week One: 6.9 pounds, waist line 34 inches

Week Two: 3.6 pounds, waist line 34 inches

Week Three: 1.8 pounds, waist line 33 inches

Week Four: 3.8 pounds, waist line 32.5 inches

Week Five: 2.4 pounds, waist line 31.5 inches

*Measurement of the waist is taken across the love handles and in line with my belly button.

Wow! Only 1.8 pound loss in week three! Keep in mind this is still very good but still a long way from 175 pounds. Proof that weight lose should not be your focus when trying to lose body fat. Take a look at my waistline, the first two weeks nothing! Then week three out of nowhere…1 whole inch! Yes, this 1 inch waistline drop can be explained, and I will talk about it in my next update. In my next update I will also talk about and list the foods that I have been eating for the past three weeks.

Updated Photo Below:

Mike Sweeney September 12^th 2009:

Michael Sweeney is at it again. This time I’m going to try something different. The 2009 Midwest Natural Bodybuilding Championship in Madison! Ok, I’m entering this show a little late, for those who don’t know much about bodybuilding, you should start training 14-16 week prior to a show. The show date that I’m getting ready for is October 10, 2009. I started my dieting and weight training August 31^st, this only gives me 6 weeks to go from my starting weight of 202.3 lbs. on August 31 to 175 lbs. by October 10^th. I would make the middle weight class at this point. I will be giving updates on my weight and maybe some photos as I go along through my training. For weekly updates, go to www.sweeneysgym.com.

I have trained for 13 days on nothing but Amino’s and it’s not enough. I’m starting to lose muscle and the deep separation I have always had. Everyone always ask me what products I take on a day to day basis. I usually tell them that I’m taking my own products from Advocare but at this time I need a quick change to shock my body and muscle for the next four weeks. With making this choice I’m going with the next best thing and that’s Met-RX. Advocare has done great for me and I will continue to take the products after my show is all over. Since I have such a short time before the show I need to trick my body everyway I can between workouts, meals, and yes supplements! Below are the supplements I will be taking for the next four weeks, then back to Advocare.

Met-Rx: Designed by Michael Sweeney Product start date: 09/13/2009

Performance