Pictures Of Body Builders

Bodybuilding, and a caring wife, helps save life of once-obese Miami man

On Saturday morning, 51-year-old Juan Morato will stand on the War Memorial Auditorium stage at the NPC Southern States bodybuilding championships, a 6-0, 200-pound living “After” picture of strength and health.

Morato will do so after embodying two kinds of “Before” pictures – 450 pounds of mass consumption and, later, wheelchair-bound, paralyzed from the neck down. That Morato didn’t die between those two “Before” shots, that he carries a symmetrical, chiseled physique now can be credited to his strength, discipline … and the love of a woman. And her strength. And her faith.

“If it would’ve been the other way around, I wouldn’t have been able to handle it,” Morato said in a tone that reflects 30 years of affection and admiration for wife, Teresa, who competed in the Over 50 Figure competition Friday.

When a problem with gastric bypass surgery resulted in Juan being in a coma and so close to death, a priest was called in to give last rites, Teresa Morato substituted her own prayers for her husband’s recovery. When he left the hospital unable to do basic tasks and specialists saying he would have a tough time just walking again, she told them he’d be celebrating the next Christmas on his feet. When he recovered but ran himself down to a reedy 158 pounds, she told him on a Thursday that he had an appointment with a personal trainer Monday to put on some muscle.

Juan still almost cries today thinking about what Teresa and his then-teenage children, Jonathan and Jennifer, went through. He feels responsible for them sleeping on a South Miami Hospital conference room table night after night during his coma, awaking at 7 a.m. before medical staff needed the room for meetings.

“It was a team effort, 100 percent,” Juan said. “I can’t ask for better.”

Juan feels responsible because, he said, it shouldn’t have gotten to that point. The Cuban native moved to Miami from Spain with his family in 1969. He weighed 200 pounds when he and Teresa got married. He jokes “my wife got pregnant — she lost the weight and I kept it” — but blames only gross overeating for reaching 450 pounds.

“If I would do a barbecue at the house — I love cooking — while cooking, I would drink anywhere from 24 to 30 beers,” Juan said. “I would eat seven to nine sausages. And that was just while cooking. The churrasco? I would eat a whole one by myself just picking on it. I would sit down to eat and eat like a pig. Drink a 2-liter Coke … three, four pieces of bread, potatoes, the whole works.

How to Engage in Body Building Training For the Best Result ...

What comes to mind when you hear the words “body building?” Does your mind conjure up pictures of overly muscled people parading around a stage and posing? Do you think of the guy who can lift a few hundred pounds all by himself? Believe it or not, there is so much more to body building than just morphing into a stereotypically muscle clad meat head. Body building is a fantastic way to tone and strengthen you muscles as you get into shape.

No body building routine is complete if you do not back it up with a balanced and healthy diet. This makes body building like every other workout that is out there. If you really want to be healthy, you need to eat a diet that is healthy and balanced. Junk food doesn’t cut it if you need a snack: choose fruit, veggies or whole grains instead. You should avoid foods that contain a lot of chemicals or high amounts of high fructose corn syrup. These things work against your body. If you eat a balanced and nutritious diet you will give your muscles the vitamins and nutrients they need to remain healthy as you tear them down and build them back up again in your workouts.

Find someone to help you. When you are first starting out you are more likely to make mistakes with your training routine. When you work with someone who is more experienced like a partner or a trainer you can learn the good habits first. Developing your own (good) training routine is a lot easier when you have someone with body building experience on your side. You are a lot more likely to have a successful routine and less likely to make mistakes and hurt yourself. Someday you might get to the point where you can put together your own workouts but when you are a beginner, find a person who can teach you what to do. Your body will be thankful that you did. Take a little bit of time to learn how to do all of the different body building exercises that are out there. You do not have to commit to anything yet but try everything out. This will help you learn which muscles get worked on by each exercise. It is easier to plan workouts and to get the results you want when you know which exercises and which tools have specific results on your body. After all, if you want to develop your triceps and biceps, you don’t want to do exercises meant for your pecs or your abs. Learning what needs to be done and the best methods of doing it are steps you need to ensure that you use your time wisely and don’t accidentally get hurt.

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