Observations of Butts

Yes, this is my butt, and no, it doesn't look like this today. It does look like this at competition time though and this picture was taken October 1, 2011.

I am always astounded by how little effort people put into training their glutes but they talk about them all the time. Don't they know that you need to actually train this area and devote a great deal of time to it just as with any other body part?

Our lifestyle makes a huge difference and I see that in the butts of the world as I walk around. I work at a university, so I am walking around campus a lot. There are over 30 thousand students enrolled here, and while they may not all be on campus at once, the place is teeming with young people everyday.

Last week as I walked to a meeting across campus I was observing the young healthy bodies surrounding me. For the most part they looked great, however what I noticed is most of them had flat butts. No glutes to speak of.

I think this is from the sedentary lifestyle that most of us enjoy these days. The young people of the world are not as active as they once were, they sit at their computers and game or interact with friends via Facebook.

It's unfortunate.  

Not only do they have flat butts, they are setting themselves up for lower back pain and injury as they age. A strong set of glutes is very, very important to your overall heath.

Be sure that you focus on your glutes!

So what does my butt look like today after gaining 15 pounds? Not bad, it certainly isn't flat!

Butts and Backs

Backs and Butts

I think that those two parts of a woman's body are stunning, absolutely beautiful. I mean look at this view, pretty nice huh?

I am on the left (in case you couldn't tell). This is the top four in the Unlimited "C" division of the 2011 NPC San Francisco Bodybuilding, Fitness, Figure, Men's Physique and Bikini Championships. I placed third.

So many people only concentrate on the muscles they can see, the "mirror muscles". I have always loved to train glutes and back, part of this may be because my back gets wide and impressive  and I love to see the results.

My glutes? I have always had a good, round butt. Genetics. However, I still have to train it and train hard. Those little leg pulley things that people call "kick backs" might feel good, and in fact I do it sometimes too, but it won't make your glutes ride high and hard. I don't think it does anything actually. You need to perform exercises with a lot of heavy weight, just like you would for any other muscle you are trying to grow.

And, not much looks worse than a dimply, saggy, loose, fat butt.

What do I do? There is lots to do!

Wide stance squats, plie or sumo squats (stand on two raised blocks so you can go deep), hip thrusts, barbell glute bridge, sprints, reverse hypers, Good mornings, ball ham roll outs, Glute Ham Raise, kettlebell swings, running stairs, lunges, RDL's, deadlifts (all the major lifts and all squats will hit the glutes too). 

Hey! Thats' serious weigh training isn't it? And hard stuff too! You bet. You cannot grow big, beautiful muscles without lifting heavy and working hard! The cute little colored weights with the powder coating are not your friend!

I usually train back once a week and glutes once a week. Then, as I am getting closer to a competition, I will train back twice a week and incorporate the glutes into other days.

Having a strong back and strong glutes is not only pleasing to the eye, but it will help you in life. 

Competition Primer (Part II) Gluing the Suit

It's all about the butt! 

Seriously now, if there are two competitors who are close as far as physiques, the one with the best butt wins!

As it should be too.

I do work on the glutes a lot, I pay great attention to them as I think the most unattractive female trait is a saggy, fat, lumpy, dimpled butt. Sorry, it's one of my non-negotiables, I just cannot stand it!

You can make sure you have a firm set of glutes, but you have to do the right stuff. This means working the hamstrings, so that the entire glute and hamstring transition flows nicely (called the glute/ham tie in).

This is my back view from last week's competition. Not bad huh?

And, I made a great discovery! Actually Ann Wood Edson, the woman I am standing with introduced me to this competition life saver. 

Elmers Craft Glue

OK, we all wonder who on earth designed these competition suites and the 5 inch heels that you are REQUIRED to wear (did ya know that?!)

The suits are beautiful, but they really don't stay "put" if you know what I mean, especially the back bottom portion.

Now if you have a suit that covers your entire rear end, like a brief, it's not that much of a problem, but if you have one like mine, which doesn't cover much, it is a major problem. I cannot count the number of "wedgie" shots of my butt from previous competitions that are forever on the Internet, oh well. 

I met Ann as we both plopped down across from each other in the dressing room, and of course, started talking. It was her first competition and she had the goods!

She offered to "glue my butt"...actually it is the suit that gets glued to the butt. I should have asked her how she found out about this, but I forgot!

Most of the women use Bikini Bite, a roll on glue for this specific purpose, but even then it doesn't hold long and don't even think about bending over or it comes undone. 

Some women (not me) need to glue their tops too, and you can glue the sides  of the bottoms as they are supposed to be pulled way up high on the hips. Glue it all I say!

The Elmers' Craft Glue worked like a charm! It held my suit through both the Master's and the Open. 

It is very helpful if someone will glue it for you so they can see if it is straight. I have found that (for me)  it works best to glue it not only on the back "cheek" area, but right at the crotch, to keep the middle material from bunching and turning (I know, TMI). So I would glue my own crotch then ask someone to glue the back, you need to put the glue on, then press the suit against the skin for about 30 seconds. You cannot be shy in this sport, just go with the flow.

This glue did leave a small residue on the inside of my suit, unlike Bikini Bite, but I cannot see it through the outside. It left residue on ME for a few days! I kept sticking to the toilet and had streaks on my backside where the spray tan was streaked as it slowly wore off, the glue remained and it really didn't look very attractive.

But it worked, and I will use it again!

Thank you Ann!

Glutes

Yes this is all little 'ol me. I loved the way the sun was shining through the skylight in the kitchen ceiling yesterday, and the sun created this great lighting.

Butts. Glorious butts!

I have written about them so many times, and I had to write again. A friend of mine from the gym sent me an email and she said:

"Not to be weird about it so don’t take this the wrong way (as if you would) but your butt looks amazing!  I have to say I took a good look when you were doing your ham curls and, really, I aspire to have a butt that tight.  Awesome!"

I love being an inspiration to women (and men!) It is important to show that you can look great and feel great an any age. 

I work on my butt a lot. I have really been hitting my quads and hams hard in the last 6 weeks since starting with Roy, and he has taught me some great stuff!

I can see that they are helping the entire glute-hamstring tie in.  You want to make sure the hamstrings have a tight and strong transition right into the glute, ideally they look like one big, smooth, strong muscle. 

No big indents, wrinkles, sags, you know what I am talking about!

I was so stoked by this email that I started this blog, took my picture, then went across the street to the track and ran sprints (walked the rounds, ran the straights) and then ran up and down the bleachers. I love the bleachers here, there are 20 and they are double wide. This means I can really run as opposed to jog up and down them.

Most people just sit on their glutes way to much, they don't exercise them the way they were intended to be. 

I see men doing bench press then they look at how puffed up their chest looks, but then they turn around and they have a flat rear end!

I see women doing cable kickbacks, sure these help a little, but glutes are huge muscles, they need heavy weights. They need explosive exercises.

Oh and those little inney outy machines that you sit on?  (The adductor and abductor), they do nothing. Don't waste your time! Get off your butt and work those glutes they way they were intended!


Oh, and "S", thanks for the great compliment, you made my day! 

Glutes

I love glutes. And I particularly like my butt when I am not at my lightest, because it looks round, full and healthy. If you have followed my blog, you know that back in December of 2009 I went on the "bring me a butt like Beyonce" workout, it was quite successful! SC developed it for me. He loves glutes and quads, so asking him to give me a set of exercises to make either bigger was no problem.

I make sure that I always include lots of glute training, in fact I devote an entire hour to glutes once a week, and many of my other days hit the glutes as a secondary muscle group.

There is nothing wrong with a nice, round full rear end, as long as it's not wide or heading south!  In fact, SC told me the other day he saw a very attractive woman, then she stood up and she had no butt to speak of, the back of her jeans hung flat and straight. He was sorely disappointed.

What can you do?

Squats

Reverse hypers
Hip thrusters
Glute Bridge

Reverse leg press

Sumo squats

Iso reverse hypers

Cable 45 degree abduction

Seated good mornings

X band walks

Triangle of terror

Lunges

Back to Reality

 

It has only been one week since my competition, and I have already gained 11 pounds. Now I know a lot of that is glycogen in my muscles and water retention from all the sodium, so some will quickly fall off. It is emotionally and psychologically difficult the first two weeks. A competitor will go from looking ripped, fat free, tight, tan and simply beautiful to looking like an average person in just a few days; however it is really hard to accept.

I think it is very important for others to know how hard it is to achieve this look, not only the weight training and the diet, but the emotional difficulties. If it were easy, you would see a lot more people walking around like this everyday.

It is not possible to hold the "competition" look for long, I suppose that I could hold it for a bit, but it would be a struggle. One of the incentives that allows you to even carry on each day is the fact that you know once the competition is over, you can live like a regular person again.

I completely let loose for a week, and that means I allow myself to eat and drink whatever I wish, so of course my body soaks it all up like a sponge.

My stomach was tight and flat a few days ago, it now jiggles and is round, I am still amazed how quickly it transforms!

The other night I was reading a fitness magazine, and the "pro" bikini competitor said she was 118 competition weight and 120 off season. This is the kind of stuff that upsets me and it makes people everywhere feel like failures. The "pro" is not being truthful, we all fluctuate a few pounds, so why is she making it sound like her weight doesn't fluctuate between seasons? I have never met anyone who competes who doesn't add several pounds in the off season, that is the only way to add muscle and maintain sanity.

In a couple days I will go back to my diet and I will stop drinking again, save an occasional glass of wine, and I will then drop a few pounds, as I slowly adjust I will mentally accept my new body, a "real" body that is still fit and healthy.

I actually think I look best right in between, not my thin 120 pound competition self, and not my current 131 pound soft self, but right around 124 pounds. I have some curves and muscle, but not much fat. I should be there in about three weeks I think.

I have three sizes of clothes in my closet because of this process, so I never need to go buy new things, I just move into the next size up or down.

This is when I start getting excited about lifting again, as you must take in more calories to build muscle, although to add lean mass and not just fat mass, those calories should be from healthy foods, not junk. I am training hard, and plan to train my legs three times a week to grow my quads. I have been reading and studying, and I know I can do it.

I just need to remember the same thing I tell others:

"It's the journey, not the destination, enjoy the trip"

Showtime

 

I am writing this Friday afternoon, my second competition of the year is on Saturday, the day you are reading this.

I sat down on my bed to rest for a while, I am tired, there is so much physical and emotional preparation that goes into each one of these, until you have done it yourself, you cannot even come close to imagining it.

The highs are oh so wonderful and the lows are so very dark. Everyone rides the same road up and down, but feeling alone many times.

The diet is what is most difficult for me. I love lifting weights, and can do it for hours. I mean a friend can call up and say "let's go lift weights!" and I jump at the chance.

The diet is hard because you are so alone from everyone else, they all eat something different and at a different time. You are constantly cooking, yet you cannot eat what you are cooking until your scheduled time. It's not the food that gets me down, it's the fact that eating is a communal event, a way to share life with people, I often feel I am not able to share this experience.

But that will all change very soon. I am at the home stretch, I just had my last "diet" meal.

I haven't trained since Tuesday, you have to stop a few days before, and I haven't slept in, I have gone into work early since I will be out so long, I have to catch up.

I took Friday off, went into the club at 7:30 to check my weight, I am at 120 pounds, I wanted to come in at 120 to 121 so I am perfect! On July 1 I was at 122 pounds and 4.80% body fat, so I am guessing I am about 4% right now.

Hair cut at 8:00am (see above I like the bangs!)

Manicure and pedicure at 10am (I am boycotting fake nails, I grew my own out and they look lovely), now I don't have to struggle with them all day and then soak them off.

Cooked my meals for the show, steak, chicken, rice, asparagus.

Packed everything I will need to take with me even though there is no hotel involved, it's almost like the days of an infant with the darn diaper bag and everything but the kitchen sink in it.

Took off my make up and will shower soon then down to the hotel for my spray tan. I talked David into going with me, he can sit in the bar and have a cocktail while I am tanned. Let him get up close and personal to everything.

I am looking forward to dinner. I reduced carbs for a few days, then added them back, now I am trying to saturate my muscles with glycogen. I will have RARE steak, baked potato, asparagus and a nice slice of homemade cheesecake. I made it a couple days ago, Kim told me to have it Friday night so I look full and round, I couldn't bring myself to buy an inferior product when I know I make such a good one. Plus my son loves it and will eat the rest. A win win for everyone involved!

One last meal of 3 ounces of chicken and then to bed early.

I will wake up, eat steak and potato and start the stage make up. Put on my suit and jewelry then sweats and flip flops and head down to the Convention Center. I will probably stop by and pick up "M" in her hotel room, see if she needs any last minute assistance.

Then we will head over to Exhibit Hall 3 and wait for the athlete briefing and registration. We have to check in at 8:30 but none of the figure competitors will even go on stage until 11:00 at the earliest, all of the bodybuilders go first.

The first show is open to the public (paying of course) and is called pre-judging, but there is nothing "pre" about it, this is where they decide who gets what place. You are almost sure to know what place you are in by where they line you up for the final look. Some women get so discouraged here that they don't bother to come back for the evening show.

Everyone up on the stage has busted their butt for months, they all look great and it takes guts to stand up there in front of everyone. I have a great deal of respect for every single competitor who does come this far, no matter where they place.

Pre-judging will end late, after "lunch" time and then we have a few hours to rest before the evening show. I may hang out in "M"s hotel room for a while, but will most likely drive home for a quick lay down.

Back at 6pm for the athlete brief and we go through it all over again, but this time with a huge audience, lots of lights and music, an emcee and trophies are awarded. The only placings the judges don't know until the evening show is the "overall" winner.

The overall winner for figure is selected form the first place winners of each open height category. All of the first place winners will be lined up and compared side by side. The overall winner is awarded an Excalibur sword, is featured on the posters for the following year and usually considers going on to compete at the National level.

Then, I kick off those 5 inch heels, rip open my Doritos and eat them while chugging a huge bottle of water, you can't have much all day so you are dying of thirst. After the Doritos I break open the Milk Duds and strip off the suit.

Naked women will be standing all over in the locker room, make up smeared, tans blotchy, eating every kind of junk food you can imagine, huge smiles, hugs and laughter, some will be shrieking and dancing.

"M" wants to go out to Original Joe's for dinner, it will be about 11pm and I know I will be tired, maybe I will go, maybe I will go home.

David will get home before I do and will be waiting with cold champagne for me and a big hug and kiss.

And then a long, hot, steamy shower and one more piece of cheesecake.

The goal in life

I read something that Will Brink posted on facebook the other day and I loved it:

The goal in life is not to fit in, the goal is to stand out. Don't worry about standing out or being different. Let the followers be threatened by your audacity. "Lead, follow, or get out of my way!"

This is me posing in my kitchen, with a great costume I found at Goodwill. I was going to wear it for Halloween, then my son confiscated it...he was a hit, all the girls loved the chicken.

My point here, is many people worry too much about what others think. I love the bodybuilder look, I love having big 'ol arms, and a nice round butt, and muscles all over. Skinny? I am not keen on that starvation look at all.

In fact the other day, at a lacrosse game for my son, a parent of another player smacked me on the butt and said she just loves my butt, "you can bounce a quarter off it!"....that not only makes me laugh, but it reinforces that what I am doing is leading the way, in a direction I am happy to go.

So do what makes you happy, spend time pursuing the things that make you want to jump out of bed in the morning, don't let others opinions stop you from enjoying life, wear what you want to wear, dance how you want to dance, and read trashy novels if that is what makes you happy!

Triangle of Terror

This is the exercise that SC has me do called the Triangle of Terror, along with the other glute and ham exercises, and my glutes are very sore about 24 hours later. I do really like this one.

Be sure to maintain a low squat position and a straight back throughout.

You will step forward 15 steps, then backward 15 steps, then sideways to the right 15 steps and sideways to the left 15 steps. This takes time, you are not supposed to speed through it, you must maintain a very low squat position, keep your back straight and maintain the widest possible spread between your feet at all times.

The above steps is one set, rest and then do it all over again, for a total of three sets. Take a look at the video below.

It's Show Time!

Today is my competition, I am feeling really good! I went through a real down period for a couple weeks, it happens when you have been working so hard, lifting, posing, weighing your food, eliminating supplements like creatine, just trying to get it all dialed in.

You stare at yourself so much wondering, did I lose too much fat? (Yes, you can be too lean for Figure as I often am). Is my stomach flat enough? Are my delts round enough? What about the sweep of my quads? Did my glutes shrink? I can go on and on.

You end up at a point where you are incapable of critiquing your own body, seriously. You do not see reality. It's like a temporary form of body dysmorphic disorder. I say temporary because this is a serious illness, and I am sure what I go though is a fleeting panic attack....

But I am now ready, I know I look as good as I can, and I will be happy with that! I have worked very hard, my family has been very supportive, my friends have encouraged and I couldn't ask for more. WAIT! yes I can!

Food...and wine. Lots of wonderful food shared with people I love and who love me. "R" sent me an email that she has champagne on ice, waiting for us to get together! If you live nearby, feel free to come on over!

Butt Glue

What do lacrosse and bodybuilding have in common? Butt Glue. Yup, at least in my world they do!

My son plays on a club lacrosse team and last Friday we attended the year end party. My husband and I were talking to one of the coaches and his wife, and the subject of my competition came up (probably because they were all eating catered Mexican and cocktails and I had water and turkey chili).

So I mentioned the problem all of us gals have making sure that out tiny suit bottoms stay put! They don’t cover much, in fact the rules say they must cover 50% of the glute area, well I tell you, their idea of “glute area” is nowhere close to my idea of “glute area” because my suit bottom in no way covers 50% of anything! Maybe the “dividing line” and that is about it.

He said his daughter was a competitive gymnast for many years and she used something called Butt Glue to hold her suit in the correct place and it worked all day long!

I somewhat dismissed it as how could a little 3 1/2 foot gymnast know more than armies of figure competitors? We have something called “bikini bite” but it doesn’t seem to hold very long, maybe 10 minutes. I am on stage for two divisions, and there is pre-judging and finals which means I am on stage four seperate times…that’s a lot of re-gluing!

I thought about it a couple days then decided to find some Butt Glue to try it out.

You would not believe the comments I got when I called stores about it! Hardly anyone knew what I was talking about and most thought it was a prank, and I was calling gymnastic schools.

I called my friend “C” whose daughter “L” was a gymnast for many, many years and she told me where to get it. I called them up, they had three bottles left! In the car I jumped and had to try it out as soon as I got home.

Here I am with my new Butt Glue holding my suit bottom just where it needs to be! I walked into the kitchen where my husband was sitting having a glass of wine with a friend, they both laughed and said it was like a floor show in Vegas, but I didn’t see any tips!

I can tell you right now that all the women backstage will be asking to use my Butt Glue…it works.

Real product name:

It Stays
Ames Walker
Support Hosiery
PO Box 1027
Asheboro, NC 27204
1-877-525-7224

Korean Bath House

Yesterday I visited the Korean Bath House for a treatment called “Full Body Care”, it is wonderful but not what most of us are used to.

The full body care consists of a 30 minute scrub and a 40 minute massage. I am doing this to make sure my skin is smooth and completely exfoliated before I get my spray tan on Friday.

Here is how they describe it in their brochure:

Body Scrub methods are imported skills from Korea, its exfoliation service. Body scrub treatment sterilizes and removes dead flaky skin leaving you fresh, clean, smooth skin. It’s totally provide relaxed and revitalized feelings.
Full body care is the combination service of Scrub and Massage, this service is provide in the Spa area, it’s most highly recommended service in our Spa.
Acupressure Massage is the method of applies pressure to certain meridian points on the body that relieve tension and relaxing tight muscles and body pains. It’s traditional art of Asian deep tissue massage

Ok, but here is the deal from my perspective:

I enter the health center located in an old run town strip mall; I have been here before so I am familiar with the place.

The man at the counter looks at me and asks if I want a “strong woman” I said “yes, the stronger the better”. I pay my fee ($80.00) and he hands me a locker key, a very thin robe and three small towels about the size of hand towels. There are toothbrushes at the counter if you want one.

Women enter into one door and men another; they will be separated the entire time. You leave your shoes in a cubby area and must walk barefoot the rest of your stay (except when using the toilet, there are some slippers to use at the door, you remove them and leave them at the entrance of the toilet as you leave).

Find your locker, take off all your clothes and put on your robe. Off down the hall the to communal “bathing area”, you enter the glass doors and off goes the robe for the rest of the stay. There are more cubbies for your towels and robe.

First protocol is to shower. Many women come here and spend the day with kids, family and friends; it’s only $20.00 for a day use. You can use one of three open western showers or there are 8 bench showers with a hand held shower head. All stations have shampoo, rinse, soap and buckets. Most women plop down at a bench and start scrubbing; they have their own shower caddies they keep there. They will turn and scrub each other, laughing and chatting the whole time. Kids and mothers, grandmothers, everyone is naked and getting clean and having a great time away from men and worries. People do not speak in whispers, they laugh and greet each other and are right at home.

I use the open western shower. After cleaning thoroughly I take in my options. There is the huge “warm” spa, the small “hot” spa and the medium “cool” spa with the nonstop shower of water plunging down from the ceiling.

I know from experience that the hot spa is way too hot for me, so into the warm one I go, and float a while, I attempt the hot spa and scald my feet, three times, nope; it’s still as hot as it was last time.

I decide to use the wet steam instead of the dry sauna as the sauna is quite crowded already. The wet steam room is cavernous and the walls are covered in large river rock. There is a huge dish of some dried herb on the tray where the steam emerges and I believe it is wormwood, it smells wonderful and earthy.

The steam pours in so hot and strong that I am dripping in sweat and cannot see two feet to my side, time to exit to the cool spa. There are buckets around the edges; you should rinse the sweat off your body with the water from the spa before getting in. The cool spa is so cold it takes my breath away; I quickly slip under the water shower and back out to the warm spa.

Time for my Full Body Care. There are four therapists and they all wear black lace bra and panties, I am not sure why but that is the traditional uniform. There are four massage tables and I am instructed to lay down face up on one.

She starts by donning little yellow rough mitts, and starts to scrub very briskly over my entire body. Think of how rough a cat’s tongue is, and then imagine a 250 pound Bengal tiger’s tongue licking you all over, it feels like sandpaper. She twists and turns me, the thick dead skin starts to spill over onto the table, piling up all over, it’s disgusting. She flips me on my stomach, same thing, on my left, on my right, getting every inch of my body.

Periodically she rinses me with a large basin filled with hot water; it stings because I am missing so much skin…

When she has completely scrubbed off three layers of skin and rinsed me, she does the whole thing over again just to be sure. She then does it again but this time with a strong smelling soap, more rinsing and swishing.

Now a face mask is applied, and a light gauze over the face with another mask painted on, my hair tied up and she starts the massage.

I am coated in baby oil, slippery like a seal, I am afraid I will slide right off the table. The technicians all laugh and joke, loud guffaw’s periodically as they tell jokes and belly laugh.

She asks if I am from a farm, I have no idea what to say except “no, I am not from a farm”, then she says I am so big and strong with lot's of muscles....“Ah “ I tell her I am a bodybuilder and she understands and shouts something and they all laugh.

The massage is a kind that is a combination of kneading, cupping and pressure, some pressure is so strong feel I might cry. My shoulders are extremely sore and tight so she keeps telling me to relax, I am trying but it hurts! She says I need acupuncture for my tight shoulders. I think I just need to stop those 185 pound RDL’s for a while….

She shouts “relax” and slaps my bare butt.

She flips me on my stomach and tries to get at my shoulders, using hot towels and pressure, kneading so deep. I am wincing in pain when she hops on the table, straddles me and holds one of my feet down with hers, and starts pounding in my shoulders saying “you have a problem!, You have a problem”…I am starting to think I am in a James Bond movie and I am about to be murdered…

She stands me up, uses a hand held shower to rinse me again, the makes me sit up and she slaps a hot towel over my shoulders and continues to pound with her fists! It’s starting to feel good….

Back down, she cleans off my face, washes my hair and sends me off….

My skin is like the day I was born, smooth and silky. My shoulders are still tight but I think after my competition I won’t be so stressed.

I wander to the quiet relaxation room, a large room with a huge heated marble slab topped with thin blankets (see the picture above). I grab a neck rest and lay down, with my robe on and doze for a moment, I am done.

I leave, drive home thinking about lunch, I am starved. Then I am meeting “R” by the pool at the club, we will chat about weightlifting and food, a nice relaxing day even if I did get beat up…literally!

Try it sometime, you can find Korean Bath Houses in most large cities.

Lawrence Health Spa
3345 El Camino Real
Santa Clara, CA. 95051

Ask for Sue if you want a "strong" woman!

Fridays Workout (s)

I train twice on Fridays, because I meet SC in the afternoon. Every Friday I weigh myself, he checks body fat with calipers at 9 sites and we hit the weights, heavy.

I am 16 days out from the Contra Costa, my next Figure competition. I am at 122 pounds and 3.78% bodyfat. I was at 132 pounds on February 20, and probably have to drop another two pounds right in the last couple days. It will be easy, but oh so hard...16 days can feel like a lifetime.

5:00am the gym is just open and I am waiting. I can't do too much as my afternoon session will last a few hours, today it went from 2:15 to 5:00 (I think we sat around and talked for about a half hour afterward though).

5 minutes warm up on treadmill, 15% incline, moderate pace.

abs: giant set (3 or more exercises), no rest in between

crunches on an incline bench 3 x 20
hanging leg raises 3 x 15
v ups on a bench 3 x 20

knee raises on the captains chair 3 x 20

***stopped to show R some kettlebell swings, she wants to learn and has arranged lessons with a great RKC (Russian Kettlebell Certified) at the gym. I am loaning her some bells for a while***

20 minutes on stairstepper, moderate pace, just to break a sweat

No time for posing today, I will do that tomorrow morning.

Off to work then I meet SC at 2:15 at his place and the real training begins!

Most of this is very difficult to explain, as they are not typical exercises or pieces of equipment most gyms have. I will try to get some pictures another time.

Step on scale, bodyfat check, in goes the mouth guard and we start. It's quads, hams and glutes and this means a great deal of soreness starting about 24 hours from now lasting a couple days.

3 sets of the "Triangle of Terror":

A flex band (one of those huge, stiff rubber bands that are about 3 feet tall) is utilized.

Get in a squat position, position the band over the back of the shoulders, then step on the band, feet as wide as possible, it will be like squating inside the band. Keeping feet as wide as possible and maintaining a straight back and low squat, walk 15 steps forward, 15 steps backward, 15 steps sideways, and 15 steps to the other side.

That is one set and it is hard! Your glutes and IT bands will be screaming.

Bulgarian split squat

3 sets (each leg) of 5 with a 5 second hold at bottom stretch, holding 15 pound dumbbells

Standing Good Mornings superset with kettlebell swings

GM: 3 sets of 10 with 95 pounds

KB Swings: 3 sets of 10 24 kilo

Reactive Glute Ham Raise superset with kettlebell swings

GHR: light band attached to bottom of GHR, hing at hip, lower down, bring band op around glutes, bring body back to upright position (band makes it very hard to do)

4 sets of 6

KB Swings: 4 sets of 10 24 kilo

Single leg double kettlebell RDL's (Romanian Deadlifts) 32 kilos superset with box jumps

RDL's: 3 sets (each leg) of 5

BJ's 3 sets of 10

Done! Time for a shake (whey protein with carbohydrates, beta-alanine, glutamine and L-Leucine; protein bar and a shower....while I do this, SC eats the half a banana bread I made for him, all in one sitting!

Is there junk in your trunk?

No, I don't mean your car! I mean your rear end! I am sure you look great from the front but what about when you turn around and walk away? When you stand sideways is there a straight drop from your back at the waist down to the floor?

If so, you need some work on those glutes!

I know I talk about glutes a lot, but any functional coach will tell you that one of the most important group of muscles to strengthen is the posterior chain. This includes your lower back, glutes, hamstrings, calves.

Why is it so neglected? Because you can't see it when you train! People tend to train what they can see (it's a vanity issue).

Having a weak posterior chain will cause a multitude of problems for you, but a strong posterior chain not only looks great, it guarantees you will be strong and healthy in all of your physical endeavors.

A strong posterior chain ensures you will have a strong back, good posture, less chance of hip and knee pain.

What builds a strong posterior chain?

Deadlifts
Glute Ham Raise
Kettlebell swings
Reverse Hypers
Good Mornings

Most commercial gyms don't have a glute ham raise, but I heard my gym will be getting one soon, and I cannot wait! SC has one we use weekly, but I want one I can use more often.

Same with the reverse hyper, we don't have one at the gym, SC does though.

Both of these are best done on the correct piece of equipment, but you can perform a variation of the glute ham raise with the help of a partner and the reverse hyper on a bench.

I strongly encourage you to seek out kettlebell training from a certified instructor, and I mean certified in kettlebells specifically. This is one area where you want proper instruction. I see people at my gym using kettlebells wrong all the time, and I am afraid they will injure themselves.

Don't be too proud to ask for help and if you do, be sure you are asking the right person.

By the way, what you want to hear when you walk away is "Check out the junk in that trunk!" .....it's a good thing.

Training, where do you start?

I was asked to write about training- what exercises to perform, how many sets and what to train together.

This can be all over the board depending on your skill level, your goals, your starting point, existing injuries or limitations, access to equipment, time available to exercise, I think you are getting my point, it will be different for each of us.

I think it may be best to start using myself as an example because I can describe what I am doing and why I am doing it, along with my goal at the time.

My goals change quite a bit, but are always extremely specific, for instance, I discussed my “Bring me a butt like Beyonce” program I was on last year (see Glute Day in April). That was specifically designed to build up my glutes. While I didn’t neglect everything else at the expense of my glutes, I focused on them and trained them longer, harder and more often than I usually would. I did this because I needed to bring up my glutes, because when you diet down for a competition, you lose fat and muscle, it's bound to happen, so I had to build up the muscle as much as possible so the end result would be full glutes still. By the way, the term "bring up" is bodybuilder speak to mean you are trying to make a body part bigger or more prominent.

Look for a weekly post on my specific training, and then ask the questions around that. I will attempt some suggestions for the people who want to train three days a week, but that’s hard for me as I train 6 days myself, so it will require some thought.

Make sure you are formulating a goal of your own if you don’t already have one. Decide if your goal is general fitness; lose body fat or gain lean body mass, this will determine how you move forward.

Unless you are a ripped freak, it is an accepted fact by most authorities that you are either in a state of losing (weight = lean body mass and fat); gaining (weight = lean body mass and fat); or maintaining (weight = lean body mass and fat). I know that you can gear your training so that you lose more fat than muscle, but you have to be prepared that you are bound to lose some of that hard earned muscle if you embark on a rigorous cardio regimen.

Without the “help” of anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS), most people are not able to build a great deal of lean body mass while losing body fat at the same time, you really need to pick one or the other. There are plenty of illegal drugs out there that will help you to accomplish this if that is your goal, but not one I can offer any advise on, I am afraid I do it the hard way, I practice good nutrition, supplementation and exercise everyday.

By the way, the word anabolic comes from the Greek anabolein, "to build up", and the word androgenic from the Greek andros, "man" + genein, "to produce".

My recommendation for a person new to all of this whose focus is to lose some body fat and build up lean body mass would be to start lifting weights as often as possible, always focusing on form over anything else.

A person with more lean body mass will burn more calories at rest which means if you weigh 125 pounds and have more muscles than the 125 pound woman next to you, you are burning more calories than she is while you are sitting, sleeping, resting, anything you are doing. This also means that you can ingest more calories than she can and not gain weight as easily because you need more calories just to support your resting body.

In addition, one pound of fat is larger in volume than one pound of muscle, so while those two women may both weigh 125 pounds, one of them might wear a size 2 jean and the other might wear a size 8.....something I think is interesting enough to make you hop off that treadmill and start pumping some heavy iron.

Monday Morning Hams

It’s Monday morning, alarm goes off at 3:45am, and I have to meet FP at her gym at 4:30am. I love to train early, driving the few miles to her place with the top down on the car is invigorating.

I train at three different facilities, one when I am with FP, one when I am with SC and my gym when I train alone.

Today is hammies (hamstrings); I have to bring them up because my glutes are so prominent. From the side you want to see a nice bulge at the mid hamstring the “belly” or “bicep” needs to be full and round. The last thing you want is a great set of glutes popping out there and a straight drop down without any curve.

Today is high sets and high reps:

prone leg curls
Kneeling leg curls
One leg squats on the smith

FP said I looked good after my cheat day, I will have to stop in and see her Friday or Saturday, if I am still losing weight and body fat, I get another meal. My family likes these cheat meals more than me I think because I eat the same food as they do, and we all eat together...it’s nice to be missed.

My trainers

As I mentioned before, I have two trainers, each very different than the other. I will start with the trainer I have worked longest with.

Strength Coach (SC) first entered my life in October of 2007, or I guess I entered his. I was looking for an RKC, a trainer certified in kettlebells. I found SC, walked into his facility and told him I only wanted to learn kettlebells, I didn't need anything else, didn't need someone to "motivate" me, I had one thing in mind and that was it. He shook his head and said "OK".

We agreed to meet the next week to see how we worked together and as you can see, he is still training me. He taught me all about kettlebells, swings, snatches, cleans, get-ups, presses, you name it, he taught me.

I ended up buying my own because the club I belong to didn't have any, but they have a lot of tennis courts (too bad I don't play). I had to keep my own bells at the club and they finally ended up getting two sets, I now keep mine at work where I use them to train other people.

SC has gone on to teach me quite a bit, he is the one who taught me to deadlift (over 200 pounds) and squat, and do lot's and lot's of pull ups. I even get to push the Prowler around when it's blazing hot outside as he sits and watches, with a sadistic grin on his face.

SC has taught me to read real books about weight training, text books that have actual scientific data in them. SC is very knowledgeable yet loves to try new techniques yet admits to me when he wants me to be his guinea pig, he knows I am willing to try anything, at least once.

SC is young, not yet 30, buff and extremely good looking, he makes training something to look forward to. I mean what woman wouldn't be willing to squat 200 pounds with SC spotting her? Sometimes that room has so much testosterone in it, I wonder if I smell different when I walk out.

I have a lot of fun with SC, I feel strong, young, invincible, that is until a few days later when it's painful to walk.

Figure Pro (FP) entered my life in March of 2009, oh I guess just like SC, I entered hers. It was time to take it up a notch, I needed a goal, I needed something to strive for, I needed the brass ring. I had been training with SC, I was getting big and buff. I had recently started working with my nutritionist and the bodyfat was low, 8%. I searched for a pro to teach me how to compete in Figure.

I emailed her and she called right away, we chatted and I arranged to meet her at her facility a few days later. On the phone I had told her I was at 8% bodyfat, and unknown to me at the time, she thought to herself "I am sure she WISHES she was at 8% bodyfat" and she brought her device to check me when we met, as soon as she saw me she stashed it in her bag, there was no need for that machine, I was telling the truth.

FP has an electrifying, magnetic personality, she is quite alluring. She too is not yet 30, obviously physically stunning, you have seen her in magazines, the Arnold, the Olympia, she get's paid to do this!

FP takes the raw product that SC creates, then molds it to achieve the look that judges want on stage. I can walk into her gym and FP will take one look at me and ask "What did you eat yesterday, you are up a pound", and lo and behold, I step on a scale, and she is right!

FP pushed me hard to compete - I had it all planned out, I would train with her for 5 months then compete in July, she had other things on her mind, she had me on stage in May, and I won 2nd place.

I have fun with FP, she laughs and seems to know exactly what my body will look like in the next few days, she delights in the days when she tells me I NEED to go eat a burger because I am too stringy and I cannot drive home fast enough to do just that.

Glute Day (slightly off topic already)

Oh my favorite day! I train glutes for over an hour. I highly suggest that you learn the actual names of your body parts, it's much more appropriate when talking with others.

Imagine this: You are walking a bit stiffly into work and the receptionist says "What's wrong?" You say "My butt hurts"...not a very good conversation, all sorts of things are going through his head.

Now try this: "What's wrong?" You say "My glutes are killing me"...wow, sounds impressive huh? And it is probably a lot more accurate.

Glutes refers to your gluteal muscles, otherwise known as your butt. I happen to consider myself somewhat of a butt expert. I love butts. That's what everyone looks at as you walk away.

This past winter I told my Strength Coach (SC) that I wanted to get a really big butt, I needed to build up those glutes because when I diet down for a competition, everything gets smaller, so if I made sure I had a nice big butt ahead of time, it would still look good when I was ready to walk on stage again. I called it my "Bring me a butt like Beyonce for Christmas" program, and it worked.

Today:
Barbell Glute Bridge
Single Leg Thrusters
Iso Reverse Hypers
X-Band Walks
Seated Good Mornings