Happy New Year 2011 - Are you ready ?

The year 2010 is coming to an end and it was definately my biggest year so far.

Having had a great Mr.Olympia weekend and the release of my DVD “Journey to the Top of the Hill”, I also had the chance to meet many new friends business partners in all areas. I was blessed to work with photographers like Ian Sitren, Mike Neveux, Angelo Rose, Jason Breeze, Mike Yurkovic and many more in just one week.

Coming back to Europe in November, my good friend Quincy Taylor visited my hometown and we started to take over Europe with seminars, guest appearances and promoting our DVDs.

I spend a great time travelling with Quincy and enjoyed a lot the stories of a legend in the industry. There will be a DVD very soon, that will show impression of this amazing tour.

Quincy's knowledge, combined with my "European way of Bodybuilding" trainning principles, showing different parts of Europe and a full body workout, will make this DVD a great learning experience for every aspiring Bodybuilder.

November also brought two other big steps for my career.

First of all I signed with my new clothing sponsor GORILLA WEAR and I am proud to be the front athlete of such a world famous brand in the Fitness-clothing industry.

On top of this and after my second cover this year on IRONMAN MAGAZINE,

John Schiek, the owner of the company which is producing the best lifting belts, gloves and straps, contacted me and very quickly we found an agreement for a long term cooperation.

Escaping from the winter in Germany I went back to LA and besides spending great time with my friends over there, I started working again on photoshoots.

In just 8 days I worked on 7 shoots including MuscleMag photographer Michael Butler, Ian Sitren and again my good friend Angelo Rose.

I was supported by Angela Segovia who came from Austin, Texas and who enriched my shoots not only with her stunning beauty but also by her amazing spirit and personality.

Enjoying every moment of my life and the opportunities Bodybuilding brought to me, I had to realize, that life can be over in a heartbeat and sometimes you need to slow down a little, even if all the stress you create for yourself might be of a positive nature.

Driving from LA to Vegas I ended up in a car accident and only luck was saving me from greater damage. In fact I wasn’t injured at all, but if the car would have left the freeway in a different way, it would have been only a matter of physics, that the car might roll over and would have been landing in a big hole next to street.

We are only human and sometimes we need to listen more on our body. Not everyone is as lucky as me to get such a “wake-up call”

Coming back to Germany I was guest posing at a store opening and right afterwards enjoyed family time at home, with my parents, grandparents and my only aunt.

It is time to go back to America now for an even greater year 2011.

Having had 35 Photoshoots, 2 Covers, 2 new endorsement contracts, my DVD release and Pro debut in Phoenix is its hard to beat… but the goals are much higher not only in business.

In Spring 2011 I will work at FitExpo in LA, compete at LA FLEX PRO, being working at the Arnold EXPO, competing at Mr.Europe Pro in Spain, competing at the FIBO PRO in Germany and possibly giving a few seminars and guest appearances right after the contest season.

Make sure to take a look at my new website: www.bigdanhill.tv

Besides the shop, where you will be able to purchase DVDs, autographs and Online Consulting for Diet and Nutrition, there will be also the huge members section that will be the first ever documentary of the PRO Bodybuilding reality. Weekly new clips, show the all sides of the business and additionally to tons of pictures and training footage, you will get a deep insight look to the industry itself.

I am wishing everyone a successful and happy 2011 and the strength to keep all your dreams alive. It is all about dreams and there is no reason why they shouldn’t come true.

Yours,

Daniel Hill

Offseason 2010 - Well, not really ;)

It has been been a longer while since I updated my blog last time.
The offseason is just finished and during the last few months I have been working not only to improove my physique but also to develop new relations in the fitness industry. The next contest shall be the LA Flex Pro but first of all, I would like to give you a short summary of what happened in the last few months:

It started in April with an successful event promoting "Tuff Stuff Fitness Equipment" on Fibo at the "Koloseum-Camp" (www.koloseum-camp.com)



Right afterwards, i visited Italy, Bulgaria and Malta for Seminars and was allowed to meet many fans and great personalities of Bodybuilding.


The next big event have been the Jiyuu Events in Los Angeles, where my dear friend and businesspartner Eli Dafesh and his son Wadia invited me to be part of the Enagic Team, to spread the world of the great benefits that Kangen Water can bring to anyone of us.


I have to admit, that because of all these projects and travelling, i never really been able to have a heavy offseason, but nontheless there will be significant imprroovments next year, when entering the LA Pro stage.

Right now I am preparing for some photoshoots in Las Vegas and LA in the weeks around the Mr Olympia and besides I am finishing another big project, which is my first own Bodybuilding DVD. Filmed in over five years and produced by legendary GMV Productions, it is a great feeling to look back on this epic documentary, following my career from all the start in 2005 until the first professional contest in 2010.



Finally you can also see the fruits of the hard work that has been done in spring and slowly the pictures of my over 20 photoshoots in the USA get released in spreads and Cover of Americas most popular Fitness Magazines.



I will definately not slow down and I am very excited for the projects in the soon future.

If you visit the Olympia Weekend in Las Vegas on September 25/26, you are very welcome to stop by at the "Smartshake" booth to meet me in person and get my DVD on Presale for a special price.


Because of the great feedback of my fans, I will also continue the "BIGDANHILL Diaries" on my Youtube Channel www.youtube.com/bigdanhill and bigdanhill.tv

But also for Europeans and my dear fans and friends in my homecountry I will be available to meet this year and so I decided to promote a seminar tour together with Quincy Taylor when releasing my DVD in November, visiting Germany, Finland, Sweden and some other countries to be announced yet.

Keep following my blog, train hard and stay fit & healthy.

Yours,
Dan

Week 33 (The final part of a long diet)

Where shall I begin to continue the story ?
First of all, the week after Phoenix everything went simply amazing. I had the chance of doing 7 Photoshoots in just six days with some of the most famous & prestigious photographers of Bodybuilding.



It does not only sound like an amazing week, it also made me feel on top of the clouds.
I looked forward to the Arnold Classic. To improove again until Melbourne and I felt unstoppable.












I guess thats always the moment when your body will remind you that everyone of us is just a human being and we do not have something like super-powers.
My problems started directly when arriving in Columbus and in just the same night, after 26 hours of travelling, because of planes being late or bad connecting-flights, I spend my fist night in Ohio more on the restroom of my hotel intead of my bed.
The result was a dramtical weight loss of 25lbs and a really dangerously flushed out shade of myself. I still went to my shooting the next morning and after trying to smile and work as hard as i can, i needed to visit a hospital after two hours.

What was that? I was convinced I am capable to achieve anything, as long as my mind is completly convinced aout it... And now I need to go to a hospital ?
Well, it was hard for me but it is true... I am just another human being ;)
I needed 3 litres of sodium infusions to made me get well again and luckily the doctors were able to rehydrate my body a bit. Even if the sodium made me loose some of my condition, I was capable again to do a very important photohoot the next morning and to work on the Arnold Expo for 3 days...

I tried to rest as much as I could besides working the long Expo days at the MuscleMag booth. Because I knew Australia will be coming soon, I put my focus on filling up my muscles with good food again and to work against the dramatic weight loss I had the days before.



All in all the circumstances were really bad for Australia and Milos and I tried to achieve a miracle in just one week with a crazy load and the hope to make something impossible become reality.
I was fighting hard and besides travelling to Australia I felt good enough to have some good workouts, even if my body still showed a lot of signs of corrosion.
I guess 90% of other athletes would have pulled out of the contest, but that is not the way I want to present myself in Pro business. I signed a contract to compete, I arranged shootings in Down Under and I simply commited myself to do what have to do. Fight for my goals and never even dare to give up...

But there is this mean bastard called reality and he hit me directly in my face again.
I didn't make it to improove from Phoenix for the Australia Grand Prix.
It would have been the perfect end for a first Pro season like in fairy tales but nonetheless I am proud of what I did. I was never giving up, learned something and experienced Down Under and probably some of the nicest fans of Bodybuilding of the whole planet.
I might have been 20lbs ligther than in PHX and even if was disappointed, I am proud for my appearance. For my achievement to fulfill my contract, to have realized my scheduled photoshoots and to have finished my first DVD production with Wayne Gallasch.


A very long diet comes to its end right now. After 8 months (and still some photoshoots to go in the next week) I can look back on a Pro season, better than in my wildest dreams.
Having travelled about 50.000 Air miles, doing 28 photoshoots, filming 100 hours footage for my upcoming DVD-Trilogy and meeting my new mentor Milos there is nothing more I could wish for.

I realized myself what it means to be a professional Bodybuilder and I learned about the risk of over-exhausting yourself, which can be really dangerous for your contest plans.
But I also realized myself one other important thing in Pro Bodybuilding:

There are always two winners... The ones on stage and the ones who get the exposure.

I do not only feel like a winner in this way, I do also feel blessed.
Blessed of having met so many new friends around the whole world and of having a background of support among my family and friends, that is simply exceptional,
In this way I want to thank all of those who been a part of my first contest season as a Professional: My Parents, My trainers, my friends and all those who kept me going on the right way and helped me to focus my mind on the realisation of my dreams.



Thoughts become things and dreams can come true.

Dan

Week 30 (PHOENIX PRO)

The Pro Debut is successfuly made and after a busy weekend and still being completely busy working on the photoshoots around it, I finally find some time to write down my personal impressions and experiences.

It was all in all a great weekend with great friends and fans around me and it couldn't have been a better time to celebrate my Birthday as well.



Of course I will try to compete even more successfully in the future and maybe place higher very soon. But the feedback of the big stars, judges and photographers of the scene besides all my loyal fans was already overwhelming and that is what really matters to me.
I achieved my goals, proofed everyone that I am already competitive in the Pro levels and I established new contacts for my future projects in the fitness industry.

I need to thank all those wonderful people and friends around me, especially my parents and coaches who made all this possible and just give them the credit they deserve.

Without you I could have never been here already !!!

Now its time to get refocused again. Having some awesome photoshoots and
to look forward to the new goals and to take care of business.
Australia is coming very soon and before I am looking forward to meet you at the Arnold Classic in Columbus, Ohio !

Week 29 ( 1 week to go)

Its been a busy week in sunny California.
Milos was killing my muscles perfectly with every single workout and the improovements in fullness and also a more ripped look are tremendous.



Next to hardcore training and diet routine (did I mention before how hungry I am all the time ???!!!), I also had 4 successful potoshoots with LA'smost famous photographers and magazines this week. I mad myself a really tough schedule and many days I felt like its too much, but I was never giving up. Milos watched every day very carefully and was preventing my body from going catabolic. Even if we achieved this, the last workouts before starting my depletion became horrible and my muscle feeling seemed to be completly gone. For this reason we started my carb depletion today with my first rest day since... well, I dont even know when it was ;)

I enjoyed taking the day off and as I have to prepare my travel to Phoenix next week, I still needed every minute of the day, to keep my journey moving. It is a hell of a trip, but together with my mentor Milos, I am anything else than afraid of competing. I am ready and Milos will make me even better than I can already predict.

The support of all my fans and the feedback on my video diary on www.youtube.com/bigdanhill is just overwhelming and it motivates myself so much to see that other people can identify a bit with myself and start living my dream together with me.





To have my family and friends in Germany, writing me and calling me almost every day and giving me the mental strength that I need is just a great feeling. My mother learned to use a Computer, just in order to check my videos daily and I am really proud, that they became so interested in what I am doing. I am enjoying this journey and every day is more and more an unforgetable memory... Though I know, that my career has just started.

Week 28 ( 2 weeks to go)

The first week in the USA is over already and it feels more like a month.
Not because the diet seems to take no ending which is also the case, but mainly because so many exciting things were happening.

After my first visit back in Koloseum in Fullerton, Milos Sarcev and I decided to start a cooperation and after just half a week the changes are phenomenal. Milos is supporting me with all his heart right now and having such a great personality and legend in the sport of bodybuilding directly behind my back is the best thing that could have ever happened to me.

I am two weeks out of my Pro debut and I am right on track. Considering that Milos takes care of my diet and training now, I am convinced to show my all time best at Phoenix.
I am almost sure I will be able to surprise myself. Or possibly you couls say, Milos will be able to surprise me...



Two more weeks of hard work and dedication will follow and you can be part of it on my video diary:

www.youtube.com/bidanhill



Enjoy my trip and if there is one thing I want to proof with it, it is that the power of the mind can push us over all limitations and make the impossible things become reality. This power is in everyone of us.
I had to face negativitiy for years, but now you can see, that no matter what others might say, I am able to live my dream !!!

And so can you !!!

Week 27 (3 weeks to go) Leaving to the USA

Suddenly the date of the show gets closer and I see the end of the tunnel.
Most of my photo shoots and appointments are fixed and I can leave with the good
feeling to present myself in America in my best possible shape.
I worked hard for every tiny success so far and yet I don't know how rich the harvest will be.

Most of all it is exciting to experience a whole new episode of my life and I am blessed to have
the chance of working with the best photographers of the scene and competing with the idols of the sport of bodybuilding.
At 23 years I achieved already, what seems to be impossible for so many others and it is a great feeling to have prooven all the
sceptic people wrong. I made it to the Pros and my journey has just begun.

As planned by my trainer Francisco Guerrero we are almost ready to go on stage and just because of the stressful flight and travelling this week,
we kept a little extra pounds.
Basicly I could get ready for the stage within a few days, but it makes no sense to take a risk of overdieting.
Though I am feeling tired and of course some days I cannot even stand seeing myself in the mirror, but this is the moment when the mentally strong have the chance to proove their inner strengh.
Athletes with a weaker mind start to mess things up, start to do unlogical things in order to get better in the last weeks, but in most cases they destroy everything.
Every day I keep telling me, that I am going through a process and on the contest day, everything will be alright.

I am proud to announce my new website: www.bigdanhill.tv (coming very soon)


You will find a new video of my journey every few days there and I want you to be part of the first almost "Live-Documentary" in the world of real PRO Bodybilding.
Enjoy the movies and maybe it will motivate some of you to also take their courage and live their dreams.
Everything is possible !!!



See you in Phoenix

Dan

Week 24 (6 weeks to go)

It has been a while since I was posting my last entry on my blog.
The reason I was not writing anymore is simply that my trip to the USA gets closer every day and I can almost count the hours until my flight will leave from Frankfurt to my favourite country. There are so many things to do right now. It starts with practising posing even harder from now on, making appointments for the photo shoots and making the final bookings for hotels, rental cars and flights. All this needs to be planned as perfect as possible, so it will not negatively influence my diet routine when I am finally there. If you fail to plan ahead, it will cause a lot of extra-stress and this would be the worst nightmare for the last days.

Nonetheless everything is going better than expected. I dropped a little bit of weight in the last weeks and so I am staying around 260 lbs by now. I believe this happened by switching from chicken to fish as my main protein source.



I realize that my energy levels are really low. After my morning cardio and posing session I first of all need at least 1.5 hours of sleep before I can really start into my day. I am getting tired really fast but the same time I cannot sleep in the nights. At some days I am even a bit afraid of the night, by knowing that I won’t sleep well for sure. Those are the worst nights. Staying in bed hungry, unable to sleep and fighting against the doubts in your mind.
This is a major fight which has started now as well. The battle of yourself against your mind. When looking at yourself in the mirror the mind will give you a wrong picture of your progress. You don’t see how your shape gets better and you just see that you are getting smaller when loosing the weight. Still you have to go your way, to keep your diet and to continue with what you were doing. Otherwise you won’t be looking good on stage.

It is just about 6 weeks until my Pro debut now. The moment I was fighting for since more than 2 years. It feels unreal to be close to this point and at the same time I already feel like a winner. I have to push my limits for only a few days more. At this point of the diet it is all about your mental strength. Your body is already exhausted. You cannot expect it to reach perfection if there is not a strong force from behind. This force can be only created by your thoughts and goals. You must be driven to do this by your very own skills of staying focused and motivated. Nobody will go this way for you. Every great success demands sacrifice before. I already demanded total dedication from myself for over two years now and I got it in my own hands to create a satisfying result or to disappoint not only my friends, family and fans but most of all ME !!!
Failure is not an option and in the next few weeks I have the chance to achieve something extraordinary. Something I can be proud of forever.