Big Mouth
by Arik Orosz

I was sitting around at the keyboard, twiddling my thumbs relentlessly one night, and debating what to call this column and lo and behold, Big Mouth was born. I realize it's a bit silly perhaps and not even necessarily indicative of my persona, but at any rate the title seemed to have an appropriate ring to it. Hopefully in this context, it implies someone who isn't afraid to say things the way they really are rather than someone who talks wayyyy too much and simply won't shut up. Besides, Overly Honest Mouth didn't quite have the same ring to it.

Summer is almost here once again. The flowers have bloomed, the trees are finally green again, the temperature is rising daily, swim wear is back out on the clothing racks, love is in the air and by God, uggghhhh, you're still stuck in your winter body! It's time for a quick reality check, followed by a swift kick in the rear end to get your training and eating back on track. For a quick refresher on how to dump some unwanted bodyfat in a hurry, check out Fat Loss 2001 pt1 and Part 2. In case you haven't read it yet, this article series outlines the most important fat loss principles in a nutshell (minus the use of pharmaceutical "helpers" for fat loss which will be covered in a future article). If you are stuck in a rut or simply procrastinated on starting your summer diet, this will put you back on the fast track to a lean physique.

A special congratulations to our illustrator and DC Comics (JLA) extraordinaire, Tom Nguyen, on his win at the Gopher State Bodybuilding Championship. This was Tom's first bodybuilding show and he swept his weight class. Not to mention he came in at 3.5% bodyfat. He might be leaner than the make-believe dude on our cover illustration! Here's a few photo's from backstage after the show:

On a more serious note, these are intense times we're living in to say the least. So much is happening in the world right now that many are oblivious to. I just want to take this moment to pay the proper respect to the men and women of our military who are fighting for our freedom. Not only for the freedom of our nation, but essentially for the freedom of the world we live in. You are in our prayers. Through faith, perseverance, and God's grace justice will prevail.

In faith,
Arik Orosz