Images of Blain Stavast View Photo Portfolio Not a BBPics member? Join Now! Date of Birth: March, 1977 Height: 5 10  Weight: 183 Email: gladiatorgear@hotmail.com

The ideal life is in our blood and never will be still.

HELLO MY NAME IS BLAIN STAVAST WHO I WAS IS IRRELEVANT TO WHO I HAVE BECOME. I HAVE BEEN ALIVE FOR 28 YEARS BUT ONLY IN THE LAST 3 YEARS HAVE I REALLY BEGUN TO LIVE. LIFE TO MOST OFTEN SEEMS CRUEL AND UNFAIR, I USED TO THINK SO. WE DO WHAT EVERYONE SAYS WE SHOULD AND FOLLOW THE EXAMPLES OF THOSE WE SURROUND OURSELVES WITH, TRY TO FIT IN AND SUCCEED. WE WORK HARD TO BUY MATERIAL THINGS AND NEVER GET ANYWHERE. OUR LIVES ARE LIVED FROM ONE PAY CHECK TO ANOTHER AND SUCCESS IS MEASURED BY HOW FAR WE CAN STAY ABOVE THE RED LINE.

IS THAT ALL THERE IS FOR US? I HAVE OFTEN DREAMED THAT THERE WAS MORE. I WAS A HARD WORKER AND A HARD PARTIER WHEN LIFE WAS UP IT WOULD SOON BE DOWN. IN THE FALL OF 2001 I GAVE UP MY JOB AS A WAREHOUSE MANAGER AT THE LOCAL FURNITURE STORE WHERE I HAD WORKED SINCE I GRADUATED HIGH SCHOOL IN 1995. I HAD DECIDED TO MAKE THE SWITCH TO PURSUE THE BIG MONEY IN THE ALBERTA OILFIELD AS A WELL TESTER. THINGS SEEMED TO BE LOOKING UP I WAS WORKING HARD AND DOING GREAT. WITH THE MONEY I WAS MAKING I COULD SOON PAY OF MY 25000 IN CONSUMER DEBT. OR AT LEAST THAT WAS MY PLAN, LIFE AS IT SEEMS HAD OTHER PLANS IN MY THIRD MONTH I HAD THE CARPET PULLED OUT FROM UNDERNEATH ME. ON OCT 5 2001 I SUSTAINED A MAJOR BUCKET HANDLE TEAR TO MY LEFT MENISCUS (CARTILAGE IN THE KNEE). THE INJURY WAS WORK RELATED CAUSED WHILE CARRYING STEAL TUBING OVER RUFF TERRAIN.

THE NATURE OF THE INJURY WAS OPERABLE BUT DO TO POLITICAL RED TAPE THE WORKERS COMPENSATION BOARD DENIED MY CLAIM FOR 3 MONTHS WHEN THEY FINALLY APPROVED AND SURGERY COMMENCED THE CARTILAGE WAS BEYOND REPAIR AND HAD TO BE REMOVED ¾ OF MY LEFT MENISCUS IN TOTAL. LIFE IT SEEMED WANTED ME DOWN. 3 MONTHS WITHOUT PAY AND I WAS BACK IN THE RED AND THE COMPENSATION PAYMENTS WERE FAR LESS THAN I HAD EVER EARNED. I WAS IN TROUBLE. I SPENT THE NEXT YEAR GETTING REHABILITATED WHICH MOSTLY AMOUNTED TO LEARNING TO COMPENSATE FOR THE BAD KNEE. THIS NEVER SAT WELL WITH ME, I WAS 25 AND LOOKING TO MY FUTURE IT SEEMED BLEAK. NO RUNNING, NO HEAVY LIFTING POSSIBLE REPLACEMENT SURGERY IN A FEW YEARS. TO SAY THE LEAST I WAS MAD. I WAS SURROUNDED BY NEGATIVE FEEDBACK I WANTED A BETTER ANSWER. I FOUND IT IN A BOOK BY TONY ROBINS (UNLEASH THE GIANT WITHIN) TO KEEP IT SIMPLE IT HELPED ME FIND THE SILVER LINING. MAYBE THIS WAS LIFE TELLING ME TO SLOW DOWN REFOCUS. THAT’S WHAT I TOOK IT FOR. I WAS RECKLESS AND LOST DOING WHAT OTHERS WERE DOING BUT NEVER REALLY THINKING ABOUT WHAT I WANTED. MY KNEE WAS MY PROBLEM IT WAS MY LACK OF GOOD HEALTH PRACTICES AND CONDITIONING THAT ULTIMATELY CAUSED MY SITUATION. I FOUND A NEW JOB IN TOWN WORKING AT A CAR DEALERSHIP AS A SERVICE ADVISOR GOOD MONEY FOR THE WORK. I DECIDED TO CHANGE MY FOCUS AND REBUILD MY HEALTH. A FRIEND OF MINE RECOMMENDED A GYM IN TOWN I SHOULD CHECK OUT AND A MAN BY THE NAME OF WINSTON GREEN. I HAD TRAINED SPORADICALLY IN THE PAST BUT TO NO REAL RESULT AND NO MOTIVATION. NOW I HAD ALL THE MOTIVATION I NEEDED. WHEN I LEFT THE REHABILITATION CLINIC THE PROGNOSIS WAS NOT GREAT. I TALKED TO WINSTON GREEN ABOUT MY SITUATION HE LAUGHED AT WHAT THE HEALTH PRACTITIONERS HAD CONDEMNED ME TO BELIEVE. I BEGAN TO TRAIN WITH HIM AND TO LEARN. I STOPPED DRINKING AND SPENT THREE MONTHS LEARNING TO EAT RIGHT.

I NEVER BELIEVED WINSTON AT FIRST BUT HE BELIEVED I COULD REGAIN FULL STRENGTH OF MY LEG AND BE AT LEAST 90% RECOVERED. AT THE END OF THREE MONTHS WINSTON ASKED ME IF I WAS READY TO REALLY TRAIN I WASN’T REALLY SURE WHAT THAT MEANT UNTIL HE HAD ME GET UNDER 315LBS FOR THE SQUAT RACK. I HAD MADE GOOD GAINS IN MY STRENGTH BUT THAT SEEMED INSANE. THEN I DID WHAT SEEMED TO BE IMPOSSIBLE. I SQUATTED 315LBS FOR TWO FULL REPETITIONS, AND TWO MORE WITH WINSTON SPOTTING ME. I REMOVED 2 WORDS FROM MY VOCABULARY THAT DAY. I CAN’T BECAME I CAN. I HAD FOUND A SOURCE OF INSPIRATION. WINSTON GREEN IS IN HIS EARLY 50’S BUT IS A FORMER 4 TIME MR CANADIAN BODYBUILDING CHAMP. I HAVE THE PRIVILEGE OF TRAINING WITH HIM EVERY DAY IT STILL AMAZES EACH DAY AT 50 HE STILL TRAINS HARDER THAN ME AND LOOKS LIKE HE IS IN HIS 30’S.

IT WAS THE CONFIDENCE INSPIRED BY WINSTON THAT ALLOWED ME TO CHANGE AND CHANGE I DID. I SPENT THE REST OF 2002 GETTING READY TO HIT MY FIRST BODYBUILDING COMPETITION. MY TRAINING WAS GOING WELL I HAD BULKED UP TO 190 FROM MY INITIAL 170LBS. I WAS STILL WORKING AND BOUGHT A NEW CAR FOR 20000 AND WAS READY TO SIGN A MORTGAGE FOR MY FIRST HOUSE. LIFE IT SEEMS LIKES IRONY. ON OCT 15 2002 I WAS DRIVING IN TO TOWN IN GRANDE PRAIRIE ALBERTA AT 11:00PM I WAS PROCEEDING THROUGH AN INTERSECTION ON A GREEN LIGHT WHEN OUT OF KNOW WHERE A JEEP TRAVELING THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION TURNED IN FRONT OF ME, THERE WAS NO TIME TO REACT.

EVERYTHING HAPPENED IN SLOW MOTION THE FRONT OF MY CAR DISAPPEARED BEFORE MY EYE’S AND THEN ALL I SAW WAS THE AIR BAG. I WAS ABLE TO GET OUT OF MY VEHICLE AND SEEMED TO HAVE NO MAJOR INJURY. AS IT WOULD TURN OUT THE DRIVER WAS DRUNK, ANOTHER IRONY CONSIDERING I GAVE UP DRINKING A YEAR EARLIER. STRANGE AS THAT WAS IT WAS FUNNIER TO FIND OUT HE HAD JUST BOUGHT THE JEEP FROM THE DEALERSHIP THAT I WORKED AT THE DAY BEFORE. X-RAYS WOULD SHOW LATER THAT I HAD A SLIPPED DISK AND MAJOR SOFT TISSUE DAMAGE (WHIPLASH). ROUND TWO BACK TO PHYSIO I WENT. LIFE WAS GREAT I WOULD EVENTUALLY BE LET GO FROM MY JOB DUE TO THE AMOUNT OF TIME I HAD TO TAKE OFF.

WHO WOULD KNOW THAT THESE TWO NEGATIVE EVENTS WOULD TURN OUT BE THE MOST BENEFICIAL MOMENTS IN MY LIFE. KNOWING WHAT I HAD JUST GONE THROUGH MADE IT EASIER TO DEAL WITH THIS NEW CHALLENGE. AS THAT IS HOW I SEE THINGS NOW. ALL THINGS THAT HAPPEN TO US ARE OPPORTUNITIES TO LEARN. I HAD DEFINITELY LEARNED ABOUT MYSELF. I CONTINUED WITH THE PHYSIO AND ENROLLED IN COLLEGE AND TOOK MY FIRST YEAR OF MARKETING AND SMALL BUSINESS.

I WAS CLEARED BY MY DOCTOR TO KEEP TRAINING AS THIS WOULD BE BENEFICIAL. HOWEVER THE INTENSITY DROPPED SEVERELY I WAS CURLING 60LBS FOR BICEPS AND FOUND I COULD BARLEY LIFT 30LBS. WHIPLASH REALLY SLOWED ME DOWN. DETERMINED TO MAKE MY COMPETITION IN JUNE THE FOLLOWING YEAR. I STARTED TO DIET AND TRAIN AS INTENSELY AS I COULD. IN JUNE 2003 I TOOK THE STAGE FOR MY FIRST COMPETITION AND WEIGHED IN AT 165.5LBS MIDDLE WEIGHT CLASS I WAS RANKED 7 OUT OF 13 COMPETITORS. THE RUSH THAT I FELT FROM THAT ACCOMPLISHMENT WAS AMAZING I COULD HAVE DIED THAT DAY AND BEEN HAPPY.

THESE EVENTS SHAPED MY LIFE THUS FAR I AM HAPPY TO BE ALIVE I AM NOW DEPT FREE AND HEALTHIER THAN I HAVE EVER BEEN. I FOCUS MY LIFE AROUND MY HEALTH AND WORK LESS THAN I EVER HAVE. AS OF YET I DON’T DRIVE A NEW CAR OR OWN A HOUSE BUT I AM AN INSPIRATION TO PEOPLE WHO KNOW ME. MY LEG IS STRONGER THAN IT WAS AND EACH YEAR MY TOTAL PHYSICAL CONDITIONING IMPROVES. I OWE A LOT TO WINSTON GREEN FOR HIS ADVICE AND TRAINING. I READ MORE AND STAY POSITIVE I WAKE EACH DAY LOOKING FORWARD TO A NEW ADVENTURE. I AM CURRENTLY LOOKING TO BECOME SELF EMPLOYED. I HAVE RECENTLY BECOME CERTIFIED AS SPORTS NUTRITIONIST AND PERSONAL TRAINER. I HAVE DESIGNED A LINE OF T-SHIRTS PRINTED WITH INSPIRATIONAL SAYINGS. BUT MY MAIN FOCUS IS STILL MY BODY, TO MARKET MYSELF IS WHAT I STRIVE TO DO.

I TRAIN REGULARLY USUALLY 5 DAYS A WEEK WITH TWO REST DAYS OCCASIONALLY I PICK UP A SPARE ABS DAY IF I’M MOTIVATED OR THINK I’M SLIPPING. I TRAIN MY BODY WITH THE FOCUS ON SYMMETRY NOT JUST SIZE. A BALANCED BODY IS MORE APPEALING THAN A BULKY ONE. I TAKE INSPIRATION LOCALLY FROM WINSTON GREEN BUT I LIKEN MYSELF TO A CLASSIC BODYBUILDER SUCH AS ARNOLD OR FRANK ZANE WITH MY APPROACH. I LIKE THE CLASSIC LINES OR THE (Y) PHYSIC. I HAVE COMPETED THREE TIMES AND WILL LIKELY COMPETE AGAIN. IT HELPS KEEP ME FOCUSED ON TRAINING SO MY DIET NEVER SUFFERS SEVERELY. I MAINTAIN A RELATIVELY LEAN OFF SEASON WEIGHT AND HAVE NEVER PUT ON MORE THAN 20LBS OF BODY FAT AFTER A COMPETITION. THIS MAKES IT EASY FOR ME TO GET LEAN QUICK. I RECENTLY DROPPED 15LBS IN TWO WEEKS TO GO TO A COMPETITION. CONTROLLED EATING AND GREEN TEA GO A LONG WAY. I EAT A MINIMUM OF 6 TIMES A DAY WITH BALANCED MEALS HIGH IN PROTEIN AND DRINK 2 LITERS OF FRESH VEGETABLE JUICE A DAY TO HELP KEEP MY METABOLISM HIGH AND MY BODY HEALTHY. I FOUND THIS IS THE EASIEST WAY TO MAINTAIN MY BODY WEIGHT. I CHEAT ONCE IN A WHILE BUT GENERALLY FOLLOW AN 80 -20 PHILOSOPHY, 80% OF THE TIME I EAT FOR PURPOSE 20% FOR PLEASURE.

I LIKE TO INSPIRE OTHERS TO BE AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT IS POSSIBLE. THANKS TO DAVID SALES AND HIS BROTHER JORDAN I HAVE RECENTLY BEEN GIVEN THIS OPPORTUNITY TO DO JUST THAT. I HOPE TO LEARN FROM BOTH THESE INDIVIDUALS. ALREADY SUCCESSFUL AT MARKETING THEMSELVES BUT ALSO AT CREATING AND LIVING A LIFESTYLE THAT THEY CONTROL. THE PHOTO SHOOT THEY ARRANGED WITH JOHN MITCHELL WAS AN EXPERIENCE I’M GLAD I WAS A PART OF. IT OPENED MY EYES TO A NEW POSSIBILITY I MAY NEVER HAVE CONSIDERED.

THE SHOOT TOOK PLACE IN GP ALBERTA IT WAS A RURAL SHOOT ARRANGED BY DAVID SALES THE LOCATIONS WERE GREAT JOHN MITCHELL FLEW UP FROM CONNECTICUT TO THE MIDDLE OF NO WHERE. TO TAKE SOME SHOTS OF A FEW OF US UNKNOWNS FROM NORTHERN ALBERTA, WITH EXCEPTION TO DAVID AND JORDAN WHO ARE EXPERIENCED MODELS.

WHAT DOES THIS SAY ABOUT JOHN? I THINK IT SAYS JOHN IS WILLING TO TAKE A CHANCE ON A NEW FACE. IT PROBABLY COST JOHN MONEY TO BE HERE EVEN WITH THE FEE WE PAID HIM BUT JOHN WAS STILL HERE FOR THE SHOOT ALWAYS PROFESSIONAL BUT ALWAYS IN GOOD HUMOR. (DESPITE THE WEATHER) I HAD NO PRIOR EXPERIENCE IN MODELING OTHER THAN POSING FOR COMPETITIONS. SO I DIDN’T KNOW HOW THINGS WOULD GO BUT JOHN MADE IT EASY. JOHN IS VERY LAID BACK AND, PATIENT. AND ASSUMING WE MODELS SHOW UP ON TIME, VERY PRODUCTIVE. I HOPE TO WORK WITH JOHN AGAIN AND MAKE THE MOST OF THIS LAST SHOOT TO PERHAPS BUILD A NEW CAREER. I WOULD RECOMMEND JOHN TO ANY BODY WHO IS SEEKING A PORTFOLIO OR JUST A GREAT ARTIST TO TAKE SOME SHOTS. BEWARE HOWEVER JOHN TALKS A LOT, JUST KIDDING JOHN. THANKS FOR WORKING WITH ME.