I
started in the fitness industry in 1984 designing and building exercise equipment
DBA Midwest Health Equipment. Back then customers often would ask if I could
help them with their nutrition and training.
This kind of led me into offering instruction as an added service.
During the next few years I achieved some success as a competitive bodybuilder
with a few overall wins. Now I had a number of entry-level competitors
requesting my assistance. They worked hard and did very well, told others, and
all of a sudden I was spending way more time on the training and nutrition
consultation aspect than on the equipment side.
By
1997 I had to make a choice whether to continue with the gym equipment company
or go completely to nutrition / training.
I chose the latter and have not looked back. Business continued to grow,
strictly by word of mouth. In 2000 The Bod Squad was created, which is my
competitive bodybuilding / figure team that consists of not only my clients,
but many are also close friends. The Bod Squad is my #1 passion outside of my
family. I am fortunate enough to be one of the very few people
I have known to love my job. I take pride in my job and take it very seriously,
BUT we try to have fun along the way also, Check us out at www.bodsquad.us.
MY PERSONAL
BODYBUILDING PHILOSOPHY
Normally I try to stay at no
higher than 8-9% BF. I competed this year, for the first time in 20 years and I
did not worry about my weight at all. My goal was to get to 4-5% bodyfat with
eight weeks left before the competition. That way I can get as ripped as
humanly possible for the contest. This year I was measured at 2.8% on contest
day! (I won my over 50 class at the NPC Indianapolis this June.) I find that
the longer you maintain a low BF%, the more your body acclimates to this low percentage
and the skin (which at my age is very important) will tighten up more
effectively. Actually it makes the entire process much easier, healthier and
you achieve a tighter look.
SUPPLEMENT
STRATEGY
My favorite supplements are
chocolate Muscle Provider, Ultimate Muscle Protein cookies & cream flavor
(I use this in the waffle mix) and my #1, Mass Amino acid tabs. In my opinion
the Mass tabs offer more bang for the buck than literally any supplement on the
market, regardless of brand.
I personally discovered how
good they were after I broke my neck in 2005. I had to wait about 2 months
before I could have it surgically repaired and during that time I was paralyzed
on my left side. Workouts were minimal or non existent. I was in extreme pain
and heavily medicated. I could barely force myself to eat even 1-2 small meals
per day. I couldn’t sleep for more than 2-4 hours max per night. I knew that I
would lose nearly all of my muscle mass if I didn’t do something. Using all of
my background nutritional knowledge I realized that Mass aminos might be just
what I needed. I knew that they used the same ingredient that is in Mass in
medical settings to halt muscle wasting. So I thought,
what the heck, anything’s worth trying. I started taking Mass tablets all day
long. Some days I took as many as 70 per day. They worked great! Several of the
medical personnel were surprised by the degree of muscle and conditioning I had
maintained under the circumstances. Ever since, of course, I’ve taken Mass Aminos every day of my life. I find them especially
valuable when unable to eat properly due to my overloaded schedule.
THE SUPPLEMENTS THAT I RECOMMEND TO MY CLIENTS
First of all I don’t really
actively "sell supplements" to my clients. There are tons of supplement
companies out there, many claiming their product(s) work wonders, if not
miracles. You’ve got to stay away from any whose claims sound too good to be
true, because they probably are. However, there are several supplements that I
believe actually DO enhance your progress, and in my experience
I always have Beverly’s line available
in my office for the convenience of my clients, but I really don’t care if they
buy them from me or somewhere else, as long as they get them if I feel they are
needed. If they belong to a particular gym that carries
Now, here’s what I found
benefits my clients the most given the particular nutrition approach that I
offer. First off, as you can tell from my personal supplement program, I am a
big believer in Mass Aminos. I implement them in
almost every client’s nutritional competition plan and I have over 100
documented cases of success after their introduction into the individual’s
program. I have clients (male and female) take 3-5 Mass tablets, 4-6 times per
day between their meals.
The other basics that almost
all my clients use are Muscle Provider, UMP cookies and cream (as a drink or
incorporated in the Bod Squad Waffle Mix – see below),
Ultra 4 vitamins (1 – 4 per day depending on several factors), and Joint Care
(see note).
If their wallets permit I
also recommend Glutamine Select, Ultra 40 Liver, and Up-Lift.
Note – My 92 year old mother
has used Joint Care for over 5 years. I suggested it after her prescribed med’s
were causing several pretty nasty side effects.
She has since taken them every day, dropped the other med’s completely
and feels great!
Bod Squad Waffle Recipe
My clients, my wife, and I all use this recipe on a daily basis. Mix up the entire batch, use the portion size that is consistent with your diet, and then store the remainder in the refrigerator.
24 oz container of 2%, low fat, small curd cottage cheese
32 oz carton of egg whites
oatmeal – fill empty cottage cheese container with oatmeal (approx 200 grams)
3 scoops UMP C&C (may sub vanilla UMP)
Put all in a blender and mix until smooth
Use
a waffle maker or spoon out the desired portions into a skillet and cook like
pancakes.
You can store the remainder of the mix, or cook the entire batch and refrigerate the extras in a Tupperware container to eat later.
MY ADVICE
TO COMPETITORS
Always remember:
·
If you want to compete, never step on stage unless you are ready.
·
No competition is worth the sacrifice of health, family or good friends.
·
Competitions
are meant to enhance your life, not make you miserable.
Contact Rick at: www.bodsquad.us or e-mail: ohionpc@aol.com
Contact
www.beverlyinternational.com,
e-mail bevnut@beverlyiternational.net
Rick Ruether at a Glance Current residence: Cincinnati, OH Age: 57 Height: 5’9” (and shrinking) Contest weight: 182 Years training: 31 Family: my wife Maureen, a former Figure competitor and current NPC official; 2 grown sons Trevor and Randy; and my mom who is incredibly fit and functional at age 92. She takes Beverly Joint Care every day. Outside interests: motorcycles, hot cars, and cool guitars Occupation: Nutritionist / Trainer (NPC promoter, judge 23 years, NPC OH Vice Chair)
