Manny Kirby

Name: Manny Kirby Code Name: Azifukared Currently Living: New York Occupation: Personal Trainer/DJ/MC Entertainer Where I Train: Steel Gym NYC How I got Started: Before I ever stepped foot in a gym, I remember telling my father I wanted 2 big like the Incredible Hulk,...he said "I guess u'll be buying your own clothes then" I'm an artist I used to draw comic book heroes when I was a kid, I used to collect comics...drawing the Hulk,Batman,SpiderMan,Conan The Barbarian, etc.... Then I started break dancing and messing around in school in music class, what was so weird is I was'nt taking the class lol Fast forward to 1996, In 1996, I was in a car accident, cracking my sternum, 2 ribs on the front left and 2 in the back. I don't recall any thing that happened in the accident...just flashes. The doctor's told me I would'nt be able to dance again due to my heart being bruised by my ribs, I wanted be able to take the constant moving around due to the dancing. If I did, it would'nt be long before I would end up back in the hospital ....I was laid up for a good two months, there I started reading the writings of Bruce Lee, His mental focus on the body astounded me....then I found Mike Mentzer,....he had the same mental focus....but in a different way....Bruce was more about the mind and the spirit...Mike was about the mind and pushing beyond your limits. I combined them both and low and behold....I stepped fourth into a gym....currently reading Arnold's workout...so I tried his competition workout...a weeks workout mind you, needless to say, after the first day, the rest of the week was trying to recover and move....lol never made it thru the rest of the week. That was brutal!! lol So I figured out a game plan and started training my way with Bruce and Mike in my head,....in 1997 early 1998 I competed in my first body building show....MPLS where I grew up. After the accident I weighed 135lbs, a huge drop from 150 lbs when I did the show I weighed 170 lbs....7th place. I was happy, but it made me rethink everything.... Late 1999, Nov. I did the show again....a week prior to that completion, I did a power lifting show...my first one ever, I wanted to test my theory about the mind moving the body beyond....I placed 2nd place dead lifting 395 lbs at a body weight of 175lbs and bench pressing 225lbs, nobody ever told me not to the power lifting a week prior to a body building show....You're supposed to take it easy...needless 2 say I placed 4th. There I had found my answers on training and how my body responds to heavy weights....I blew up! lol my contest history: 3rd place men's heavyweight 2001 nyc dept of parks city wide bodybuilding contest in the bronx 3rd place men's light heavyweight 2001 Dance Theater of Harlem 10th annual Mr. New York Physique Competition 2nd place men's light heavy weight 2002 Brooklyn Recreational Center "went in as middle weight, moved 2 light heavy weight class, 4th place" 2004 NYC Dept. pf Parks City Wide Bodybuilding contest in the Bronx 3 rd place, men's heavy weight 2006 NYC Dept. of Parks City Wide Bodybuilding contest in the Bronx 2nd place 2008 NPC EMPIRE STATES BODY BUILDING CHAMPIONS 3rd place 35 and over heavy weight. Today I still train Heavy Duty and smart I used to train 6days a week, then changed it to 5 days, now it's 4days now, I get better results that way...I take the weekends off and grow! lol I train Heavy weights and the max of 12-15 reps....At One point I tested myself to see how far I could go....never again... two years ago I was preparing for a show.....I figured what way to make an impact on a huge show being natural at 240lbs. I pushed myself so hard that I taxed my nervous system.... it took a month and change to get back to normal, picking up a 5lb dumbell kick my butt....but I still had to train my clients. I made it thru, but learned a valuable lesson. More rest, and my calorie did'nt measure up to the workouts. All in all, I love this life style, I love training my clients and seeing them succeed and to see the look on their faces when they did'nt believe they could do something. whether it be, moving some serious iron or seeing their bodies change.

New York, New York

contact this fitness professional

• American Council on Exercise (ACE)

ab training, athletic trainer, body building, boot camp, fitness over 40, In home training, jazz/hip hop, muscle gain, online personal trainer, personal trainer, power lifting, strength training, weight lifting, weight loss

Mon-thursday 10:00am-10:00pm Friday by appointment