Means muscles through for third place
EC grad loses more than 100 pounds in over a year, trains for bodybuilding competition
By KRIS BAGLEY sports@leader-news.com

Contributed Photo Muscle Man Means Richard Means finished third in a National Gym Association event held Nov. 3. He plans on competing in more events and has one scheduled in May.

Standing backstage, preparing to walk out in front of a large crowd, Richard Means was nervous.

It was his first event with the National Gym Association and he and several other body builders were preparing to show off their forms.

Means thought through the various poses he learned from a free DVD he received from an online health Web site. He prepared to be in front of cheering fans for the first time since playing football for the Ricebirds in 1997. And most likely, he thought of his body before he had any desire to compete in an event.

Around 14 months ago, Means weighed well more than 300 pounds. Before walking out on stage Nov. 3 at Stafford, he had trimmed himself down to 190 pounds.

"And no loose skin either," he said.

Means took third place in the novice category at that contest and now plans to continue competing in bodybuilding competitions, with his next event scheduled for May 2008.

His decision to start losing weight came on the day he consumed his last beer.

"Water - that's my drink of choice," Means said. "Green tea is probably the hardest thing I drink now. I haven't touched a beer since an Astros game before I started the diet," Means said.

"That's probably where I first really thought to myself, 'Man, … I'm hurting, I'm fat, I'm overweight and these guys are running around on a field and they're in their '30s.' It kind of started from there."

After blowing out his back playing high school football, he began to gain weight and his back hurt him more.

He decided around July of 2006 to lose weight to ease his back pain. When he stepped on a scale that September, his weight came in at 332 pounds

"I just wasn't feeling healthy," he said. "I picked up a muscle magazine at Wal-Mart and thought, 'Man, those guys have really got it.'"

He also read about the benefits of eating a proper diet and was hooked.

"There was an article on food in there and I thought that sounded pretty good," Means said. "It didn't seem like that slop the doctors want to give you. So I tried it and it was good. I started looking in more and more and subscribed to the magazine. They had recipes in there all the time. I just started eating what I read and started researching it a lot more.

"I've just adapted to their diet because they have it down so well. The taste and all that, it's hidden. It's good for you and it's hidden. It's not bitter like a lot of the health foods that you would buy at the store. It's actually an enjoyable way of living. I wouldn't trade it for anything now. I can stick a piece of cake in mouth now and just taste the sugar. It's just slop. I'd rather have that apple now."

Means suggests www.themusclekitchen. com for healthy recipes.

Along with his new healthy diet, he is a regular at Outback Tan & Fitness in El Campo.

He credits Debbie Parsons, a private trainer, and Stephen Davis, who manages Outback, for encouragement during his weight loss and muscle building process.

"I got in here and got involved," Means said. "It really took off a lot more than what you've got at home. It's better equipment than the stuff you have around your house. (Parsons) really inspired me with the way she's worked herself over the years."

After a while, Means checked out NGA for competitions and was impressed with their philosophy of building muscles naturally.

"I decided to look into this competition as a drug-tested event," Means said. "I'm not into the steroid use or that kind of stuff, nor would I even think about having the money for it. They do a drug test, a polygraph test and all that good stuff. So every athlete that attended it passed with a clean deal. That makes the competition a little more equal."

Means surprised himself when he finished third out of approximately 11 people competing in the novice category.

"I … didn't even expect go there and do that," he said. "I went there to learn something, maybe for future reference, and then go in and do better the next time. I went in there and did a lot better than I thought I would have.

"I probably wouldn't have gone, but all the people here really encouraged me. They were really helpful in keeping my spirits up about it."

The process, Means said, was nerve-wracking. He walked out in front of a crowd and displayed over a year's work. He put himself up for criticism - literally.

"What you're basically going up there to do is present your physique," Means said. "Like how Michelangelo presented his art, you're doing that. You're showing what you've worked for and what you've built."

Means said his story is one that is attainable to anyone with drive and determination to live toward good health. The trick, he said, is being persistent and eating well.

"So many people come in here every day that try to lose weight or just want to look better and they give up just short of the goal," Means said. "So many of them get on the treadmill for 15 minutes and walk out the door or they don't come back because somebody at home or work criticized them. And man, did I have the critics.

"It's knowing when to say no and it applies to everything in life. Nothing comes easy and it hasn't, but there are ways to make it easier. I really hope more people get involved and start exercising a lot more because it looks like it's getting to be a growing epidemic. The more you look around, people are getting heavier. I know for me, it's helped my health. If it's helped my health, then it's bound to help others in the same situation."

Good health has become a family goal for him and his wife Nina Means. The two of them encourage each other and both run together nearly every day.

Running and walking, Means said, is a good first step to becoming more healthy. A little cardiovascular exercise can help shed pounds and build energy.

"At least do cardio of some type," Means said. "Walk or run. That's where the fat burns off of you. That's where it all starts.

"That's where I started - walking. You've got to at least do 45 minutes of cardio to do any good. Fifteen minutes does not cut it."

Means said not to get discouraged if walking and running are difficult at first. It was for him at 332 pounds. Slowly, he became accustomed to the workout and now he looks back and smiles at what he has accomplished.

"I walked 3 miles a day for a long time," he said. "I thought, 'Man, I'll never run.' But now I'm running those 3 miles. It feels good knowing that just a few months ago I was having trouble walking and breathing and here I am now."