Cardio

I think it's a four letter word to be honest! How much cardio should a person do? There is no set answer nor is there a right one. It all depends. It depends on the person, their caloric intake, their other training or sport and their goals.

But it's mainly about THE GOAL.

A while back I wrote that I would be increasing my weight training and decreasing my cardio "because I didn't like how cardio made me look". One of my readers asked about it, "what did you mean, you didn't like the way cardio makes you look?"

Let me explain. I think too much cardio makes most people look tired, ragged  emaciated and skinny. If you want to insult me, tell me I look skinny. Skinny is not attractive in my book, it is synonymous with starvation and eating disorders in my mind. 

The problem is, most people don't know when to stop doing cardio. They think it's the magic ticket out of the realm of fat. But it's not, take it from me. 

These pictures were just taken the day I write this. In fact, I almost always use current pictures, (I will tell you when they are older ones); it helps me see where I am everyday and it "keeps it real"; you see me year round as my physique changes and fluctuates.  You don't just see me at my best (but then you know that already huh)?

I think I look great- I am very happy with my physique right now. I am not dieting, in fact, I am enjoying quite a range of foods and ate a peanut butter and jelly sandwich moments before sitting down to write. (That was after a can of tuna mixed with a mashed up hard cooked egg and a huge spoon of dill pickle relish. Dill pickle relish has no sugar like sweet does).

My goal right now is to add muscle, lots of muscle. It is a difficult endeavor for a woman, we just don't have the necessary muscle building testosterone like men do. It is proven that you need a surplus of calories to build (fat or muscle); and you need a deficit to lose (fat or muscle). Anyone who tells you that you can add a significant amount pf muscle and lose fat at the same time is trying to sell you something, I guarantee it.

Yes, there are methods of "body re-composition"  where you can increase lean mass and decrease fat, but this is mainly for extremely overweight people. When you are at my level, where i have been training for a long time and my physique is fairly dialed in year round, it's more fine tuning and it's not as easy.

I look around at people who lift, then they head up to get their cardio in. These people are either competitors who are trying to lose fat (and they will probably do a second cardio session the same day), or they are people who never look any different. Their cardio wipes out all the hard work from their lifting. Many of these competitors will end up looking like they "dieted too long" when their competition rolls around, and it's because they did too much cardio.

A couple months ago I cut way back on cardio, and I stopped all steady state cardio altogether. I am doing "cardio" 2 times a week for 30 minutes, that's it! 

And I look like this.

I have been riding a spin bike with my gymboss, so I am basically doing intervals on a bike. I cannot tell you how important this little electronic gadget is, it ensures you stay on task and don't cheat. I set it on 3 minutes off (seated ride) and then 1 minute on (standing, hard pedaling, butt hovering over and just touching the saddle, all the power coming from my quads). There is a loud beep and a vibration (I need all the help I can get because my music is so loud) for 5 seconds at each start and stop point.

I am actually seriously considering eliminating all cardio for a while. It would be interesting to see how I change!

I still lift every single day, and on Wednesdays twice a day! So I am still quite active, in fact I am in a gym, lifting 70 minutes a day (2 days a week) and 120 to 150 minutes a day (the other 5 days a week, usually split into two sessions). Yes, that's over an hour on my "short" days and 2 1/5 hours on the "long" days.

This is the first time in years that I have done this, and I like the results. I look full, muscular, healthy and lean still. 

I think that eliminating most of the cardio has allowed my body to grow the way I want it to. And as I mentioned, I am not dieting, but it certainly is not a free for all! During the entire month of October I strayed into the Halloween candy only one day at work, that was it for candy.  I have been adhering to my typical diet where all food is weighed and measured, but I allow myself to eat with the family several times a week (when I am not lifting at night with Roy). 

How much was I doing before? A lot compared to now, but not a lot compared to many other people I know. I would do steady state cardio (treadmill or stairmill) for 30 minutes 5 times a week. In addition, I was running stairs and jumping rope at lunch 4 times a week. I will start in on this again, but not until I get closer to a competition, when I need to drop all the extra fat (and yes, I do have fat that needs to go for a competition).

I have replaced my cardio with heavy lifting. I train hard, as hard as possible every time I am in the gym. And Roy ensures that my weights go up, no stagnation, always improvements.

It shows that sometimes we can have blinders on about our training and diet. I have relaxed the diet a bit and cut way back on the cardio and I couldn't really be happier with the results.

Think about your cardio and training, and then assess your results. Are you happy? Have you been "busting your butt" yet not seeing the results? Maybe it's time to make a change. Yes, it was a bit frightening, I was sure I would blow up like a balloon, but I didn't did I? Not even close. 

Drop me a line if you want to chat about it and I will give you my honest opinion. I don't recommend making drastic changes if you have an event on the near horizon, such as a competition, or a wedding or vacation. But if you are ready to make some positive changes, think about it.

Set a goal and

Lift Hard.

Cardio

Goals- it's all about your goals. If you just go to the gym without a specific goal in mind, you may not necessarily be "wasting" your time, but you certainly are not maximizing your efforts. 


What are you doing there? Killing time? Socializing? Reading? Watching TV? 


Why are you there? Meet people? Lose weight? Lose fat? Gain muscle? aha! These all require different things!


Please...please...please! Really think about what you want out of your time in the gym. Every goal is possible- no matter where you "are" in your current fitness state, but you have to put the time and effort into it. It won't be easy, it may not always be pleasant, kind of like pregnancy and childbirth, you will forget the pain and delight in the rewards for years to come.


I am finishing up my current program with Roy and in a week we move onto some new things, I get so excited when I know we will change my training. We are moving from heavy weights and long rest periods to lighter weights and shorter rest periods, all designed for greater hypertrophy. I'm all about hypertrophy!


Now this does not mean that to gain mass you should always train this way, on the contrary, you should never train the same way day in and day out. Just look around you at all those people doing the same thing ever single day. They look the same every single day don't they?  You need to change it up!


But back to goals. You should have specific goals and understand how to get there. What do you want to look like?  That is how you need to train then.


Do you want to have shape and full, strong looking muscles? Say...like me possibly? Then you have to lift, you have to lift heavy and frequently. Muscles only develop when forced to, they need to be challenged to grow.


Do you want to look thin, sort of like the models on the magazines? Personally I think it's a very unattractive look, but if you want to look like that, so you have very thin, shapeless arms, and you look emaciated, don't lift weights, just do endless cardio and starve yourself.


If you are not training for a specific sport, then the best idea is a combination of both. You need the weight training to develop shape and add strength, and the cardio is basically to burn some extra calories, it does not add any shape to your body. Of course everything has exceptions, and this is no different. There are certain types of "cardio" that will add shape, such as sprints. Those are explosive, high intensity exercises that will really develop the glutes, hamstrings and quads. No, your legs and glutes won't get huge!  No one's butt just "blows" up" from sprints or anything else for that matter. 


I talk to endless people at the gym who ask me what to do, how can they look like me? I tell them to lift weights yet I rarely see them doing that. What I don't understand is I tell them that I see them doing an hour of cardio, and that is not a good idea, they will remain thin and skinny looking forever if they do that, yet day after day that's what I see them doing. And they don't understand why they don't change.


Too many people, especially women believe cardio machines are the ticket to a beautiful body. And if you want to look like an anorexic movie star (and by the way- skinny is not attractive), then endless cardio is the ticket. But if you want to ride my train, it's heavy weights all the way!


If you have limited time in the gym and must choose- always choose the weights, always.

Success in the Gym

Why are some people successful in their fitness goals while others are not? I think there must be a test to determine this, and the test probably has nothing to do with fitness.

Think about yourself and how you handle life in general. How do you deal with problems, with surprises, with schedule changes? I think that the way you conduct yourself out of the gym will determine how you conduct yourself in the gym.

If you are someone who is afraid of venturing out to a new restaurant, afraid to eat something you have never tried; if you are someone who never likes to take a new “short cut” just to see what it looks like, and how it turns out; if you are someone who is reluctant to wear a different color or style clothing than usual because “people might stare”…..you probably won’t be very successful in the gym.

I am in the gym a lot, I watch people every day and I make up stories about all of these people in my head. My stories may or may not be correct, but those people are stuck with them aren’t they LOL!

I talk with people quite a bit and this usually occurs as we are on a cardio machine, somewhere I am not found for long extended periods of time. They typically ask me what I do to look the way I look. It’s not something that I can sum up in 20 to 30 minutes, but I try to give them a quick answer anyway, I find that usually they don’t  listen, not really, really listen, they hear what they want to hear.

I will tell them first get off the damn cardio equipment and lift weights, heavy weights, it needs to be difficult! If this were easy, everyone would look good wouldn’t they? They usually nod their head and ask more questions and say they will do just that.

But where do I see them day after day after day? Back on the cardio equipment. I think because it’s familiar and they are comfortable. They don’t like the “unfamiliar”.

I see two women on the stairmill a couple times a week; they set the thing for an hour! Now these are not competitors and don’t look like competitors. I am assuming they are women who want to lose the “jiggle” of their hips and thighs and maybe some of the belly fat. But they have been doing this for quite some time, and I haven’t seen any changes.  They climb on, walk at a slow pace for an hour and talk. I suspect they are a bit intimidated by the rest of the gym, by the weights. I also think they like things the way they always have been, they are "comfortable".


Today I saw a big tall guy, I love to watch him because he squats and squats low and heavy. Today I watched him as he just added plate after plate after plate, and he slowly lowered himself all the way down, and he wears black tights too… Last time I looked he had three 45 pound plates on each side, so that means he was squatting 315. I think I would like this guy.

Now if you are someone who loves to venture out to new restaurants, take new routes to old places, wear whatever the hell pleases you and, sometimes wear something wild just to get a rise out of others, then I bet you are very successful in the gym!

The mentality required is one of “can do”; confidence; lack of fear; need for excitement, zest for life; someone with a passion for living, a person who does not back down easily.

A successful person in the gym is typically someone who knows what they want, and are willing to do almost anything to get it.

What kind of person are you?

If you want to change how things are working in the gym, change your life outside of the gym first.

Head Games and Hamstrings

Sunday I was exhausted, I literally felt like every ounce of energy had been sucked from my body. This is isn't like me, not at all. I hadn't stayed up late Saturday, it didn't make sense. I even attempted to take a nap in the afternoon, that's how fatigued I felt.


I was a little worried, I didn't feel sick, just like I couldn't move, it all required way too much energy. We stopped by Mark and Virginia's, I stuck to water and they had sparkling wine. Virginia though maybe it was due to the fact that I over indulged in the food area on Saturday.


That's nice she thinks that, but this temple has been violated many times before, it wasn't the food. We didn't stay long, I had dinner then I ended up going to bed at 7:15 p.m. it was still light out for hours.


I fell right asleep then tossed and turned, Cooper got home from work at about 8:45 and quietly opened my door to say hello. "Hi mummy! I'm home!" He may be 18 but he will always be my little boy. David made him dinner, I fell back asleep.


I woke at 4:50 a.m. and Gold's didn't open until 6:00 a.m. so I didn't get up yet. I was a little worried about my head, I mean if I am not sick why am I feeling this way? I was worried I may be over training, I feel like am just beating myself into the ground.


I got up at 5:10 a.m and resolved to go hard at the gym, Sunday had to have been a fluke.


It was hamstring day and Roy was taking the day off, normally I would train with him at night but I was on my own and would see him on Tuesday for shoulders instead.


I was to do deadlifts at 200 pounds, on Friday he reminded me to warm up with several sets. I need lots of warm up sets whenever I lift heavy.

I set two 45 pound plates as a platform and warmed up with 95 pounds, then 115 pounds, then 185 pounds and set up at 200.


I started in, I would do 4 or 5 sets of 5 reps. I felt good, I felt strong. I guess I just needed some rest. I see the guy next to me staring. I look over and he is about 6' 3", a fairly big guy.  I quickly add up the weights he is using for his RDL's, he has 175 pounds. He looks at me a bit shocked and I take my earbuds out. "You have more weight than I do!" he exclaims. "Yea, 200 pounds" I reply. "I guess it's good for your back" he says and I pat my hamstrings "I'm trying to get my legs bigger". He just sorta shakes his head and strips his bar and walks away. He had only done three sets of about 4 or 5, not very good but maybe he has some back issues. He shouldn't be doing RDL's if he does though.


I finish all of my sets, I am feeling my old self again. I strip the bar and then sit a while, I need to rest.


Over to the Glute Ham Raise, I have 5 sets to do on this, slow raises with a 5 pound plate held to my chest. It takes a long time.


I look at the clock, it has been almost one hour and I did only two exercises, just the way Roy and I would have done it!


I wander up to the locker room and stop at the stairmill. I want to walk. I know I shouldn't, the educated part of me knows that working out longer than an hour really is more detrimental than beneficial, but I haven't done any cardio in so long, I need to, for my head. I do honestly think that most cardio addicts do it for their head- they have stuff they are battling there and the cardio helps them. At least they think it does, it mostly makes them look emaciated and tired though. My head needs it now because I am bigger than ever, I know I need to add weight to add size but's it's still hard to deal with. It's a daily struggle for me.


I climb on and climb for 20 minutes, I zone out.


I leave the gym feeling more like myself, I will need to get a bit more rest, David is always telling me I never relax, I never rest enough, I don't get enough sleep, it's true.


Home for my shake and coffee, I have a party to attend. I will sit in the sun, I will eat the meat and my salad, no starches, no alcohol, It feels too good when I feel good.


I plan to keep it that way.

It's all about the damn diet!

It’s all about the diet- seriously. Think about it. You bust your butt in the gym and you feel like you don’t get anywhere, or maybe you just don’t get the results as you expect.  You figure its your training so you add more cardio in, or maybe change the lifting a bit and add more cardio in yet again Pretty soon you are tired feeling and tired looking, and just as fat. So you meet your friends at the bar after work on Friday night and complain about your lack of progress. 

You order a couple beers, or maybe a few glasses of wine, share an appetizer and you all talk about how hard you work and just aren’t seeing results. It must be due to getting older and your metabolism is slowing down; or work is so stressful and busy that you cannot concentrate on your workout and sometimes cannot make it to the gym.

But it's about what you eat and drink- totally.

When you drink alcohol, your body must start and finish processing that before it can process anything else. People also tend to make poor food choices when they indulge in alcohol (myself included) so it's a double whammy.

Even if you don't drink alcohol, you really need to be conscious of your food and everything you put into your mouth if you are trying to lean out or gain muscle mass. 

I was at a party recently for 4 1/2 hours, I had one glass of white wine and then water the rest of the evening. I ate the food, and there was a catered taco bar and all sorts of side dishes. I ate one corn tortilla, a lot of chicken and beef and vegetables. I ate a quarter of a brownie.

It was the same old story, over and over I heard "Oh it's so nice to finally see you eating!" or "My goodness! I have never seen you eat!" "No diet tonight eh? Mu ha ha ha ha"

Really? I eat constantly, in fact 6 or 7 times a day, twice as often as other people do. But I make good choices most of the time.  That's why I look so fit and healthy, I eat the right foods.

Now, I am up in weight, you can see it in these pictures. I am eating more food and have expanded the choices to include some things I wouldn't typically eat. I prefer my lean body but  it's not practical to maintain year round.

I have people come up to me quite often and tell me they have been struggling to lose, and they want to ask me some questions, usually it is "What do you eat?" and I usually say:

"Chicken or turkey breast, fish, lean beef, egg whites, brown rice , sweet potatoes, yams, oatmeal, vegetables, lots and lots of vegetables."

"No bread? What about dairy? Do you eat fruit? Pasta? Have you heard of the <fill in the blank fad> diet?"

" I do eat fruit, after training. I am lactose intolerant so I don't eat much dairy. I rarely eat bread and then its usually Alvarado Bakery Essential Flax Seed bread, pasta is once in a blue moon and then it's a real serving- which is 2 ounces....not enough to fill you up so you need meat and vegetables too."

And I don't believe in fad diets. I also don't believe in hours of cardio. You should let the diet do the work. Bodies are designed to be lean, efficient machines, primed and ready to move and  function as the amazing works of art they are. Fuel your body so it can be what it was designed to be.

And drink water. Lots and lots of water.

When I diet to lose bodyfat, it is just a stricter version of what I currently eat year round. So I don't go on a fad diet but I do cut way back, it's easy really although not necessarily the most enjoyable thing in the world.

I have lots of people ask me questions and I am happy to answer them- Go ahead and ask away, but please remember, I am basing my answers on what has worked for me, I have years of experience and you gotta stick to the diet to see results, simple as that. You cannot expect to see results in a couple weeks.

My Treadmill

I love my treadmill! I should have bought one ages ago! It has made life so much easier for me, at least while I have to get extra cardio in. If you saw my post about it you know that I got a used NordicTrack EXP 1000 for $50.00. I really wouldn't have been able to justify paying much more when I pay a lot to belong to the gym and could use one of theirs.


I found it on Craigslist, and I see them all the time for quite a bit more! 


I am not sure if I would recommend one for everyone, I can imagine that most people buy something like this and never use it. I think that if you cannot get yourself to the gym regularly, then you probably won't make it to your own treadmill either, no matter where it is located in your house.


They take up a lot of room, are usually very expensive and noisy (at least my $50.00 treadmill is). The guys always walk by and close the door when I am on it. At least they wave as they close the door on me.


I have found it indispensable now that I am in competition mode and must get more cardio in everyday to burn extra calories and tighten the skin. How does it tighten the skin? Well, treadmills don't really tighten skin but doing regular cardio, combined with the proper competition diet and lots of water ensures you rid the body of sub cutaneous fat, and then your skin LOOKS tighter!


It's that nasty fat under the skin that makes you look soft and pudgy (yuck). Two things I don't care for on a body - "soft" or "skinny".....In fact, now I have lost enough so as I lay in bed at night, I can run my hands over my stomach and it feels flat and firm, there isn't much under the skin except my muscle and bones and a small layer of fat. This is the stage when I marvel at how the changes occur, I can pinch the skin on my stomach and the thumb and index finger almost meet, not much fat left and in a few weeks there won't be any!

My stomach before cardio on Thursday night.


Combine that with  regime of heavy weights, the muscles pop and voila, killer body!


Back to the treadmill though, I have it set up in my guest room which is rarely used, and have now noticed that the walls really do need some paint. I hate to admit it, but we have owned this house since 1991 and have not yet painted the guest room, it just never seemed important.


As I spend more time on the treadmill I look around, thinking of colors that would be soothing yet bright, I need to spice up this room of mine. I think this summer will be a good time to overhaul my treadmill room. And since my son will be moving out and heading off to college, I have several other rooms to start thinking about too!


Mark said he will come help paint if David can get me out of the way, I am thinking kitchen, all four bedrooms, bathrooms, living room...maybe the whole house!


I think my $50.00 treadmill will eventually end up costing us several hundred more dollars! ha ha 

Inspiration

We are all inspired by many different things, and what inspires me is seeing beautiful bodies. When I see others I know that I can improve and only get better.


Makes no difference whether the bodies are men or women, they both have their individual beauty.


We can all have beautiful bodies, but we need to make efforts to do so. Seeing other bodies that I find attractive helps to motivate me to be the best I can be.


Something I find interesting is that so many women feel the need to surgically alter their body, to turn it into something that it was not designed to be. I don't particularly care for the "barbie doll" look, yet so many women strive for that, I just don't get it. And don't get me started in on the "duck lips" I am seeing more and more of!


I love an athletic look, on both men and women, more of an androgynous look I suppose.


Who's inspiring me right now? Tim Howard. Makes me want to learn to play soccer- maybe I could play with him!

I have never liked the Bodybuilder look, and I never will. I know that sounds odd as people think that's my thing, but it's not. Take a look at this body, I would say perfection in every way (at least what I can see of it), I can't see the back!


Tim doesn't achieve this look with Bodybuilding, he is an Athlete. That should help steer you in the right direction, you need to train for the look you want.


So.....standing on a stairmill all day long will make you....skinny like a cardio queen. I cannot recommend this form of exercise (exclusively cardio) for anyone on earth, anyone. Unless of course you want to be skinny, emaciated, without muscle and sort of an anorexic look (unfortunately there are thousands of people who strive for this look, and all I can say is perhaps a psychologist can help in that department). 


Weight training only will make you look like a Bodybuilder (I won't say Jay Cutler because I am convinced his look is quite a bit more than weight training). You still need to incorporate some kind of "energy system" to burn excess calories and remove the subcutaneous fat. 


Power lifting....big and bulky. Strong, but big..I guess you can eat a lot huh?


You get the idea right?


To achieve an athletic body you need to vary your training with a combination of weights and conditioning. 

Another look...I will be working extra hard this week!

My New Toy

It's a treadmill! And, it has a great story behind it! This is a NordicTrack EXP 1000, no it's not top of the line, nor is it new, but it was $50.00 and now it's mine!


You see, when you compete, you start doing 'two a days", meaning you are at the gym in the morning, then back again after work (those who are lucky enough to be able to get by without working- power to you and it is a bit more convenient for you isn't it?)


It gets very discouraging when you are hungry because you are dieting, tired because you are dieting and tired because you are training so hard; to have to go back to the gym after work, find a parking space, change and do it all over again.


Now, I can go into my guest room and do my cardio as soon as I get home! I park in the garage, no problems there! Is this going to replace my regular conditioning, sprints, stairs, and jump rope? No - It cannot, but I do need to add in additional cardio as I get closer to competition time, this will be my extra cardio.


I woke up early Saturday and looked at Craigslist and there it was. "Motivated seller", he said the price reflects the fact that he just wants to get rid of it fast. I emailed and told him I would be home by 8:30 am...he never contacted me until late in the afternoon, he had been at work. He said I was the first to respond (I do get up early) and asked if I had a truck- yes indeed I do!


I drove out there and got out of my convertible BMW, Tom had a bit of an annoyed look on his face, "I thought you said you had a truck?" I laughed and explained I do have a truck, but my friend Mark was remodeling (again) and I hadn't realized that he had taken it until I walked out to the front of my house to get in it and it was gone. It was full of bricks at the moment, if I bought the treadmill I would come right back with the truck and get it.


Tom looked me up and down and commented that I looked like I worked out a lot- He asked what sort of exercise do I do. I told him I lifted weights a lot and explained Figure, the competitions, and the reason for needing a treadmill, then he asked if I was a model too. Now that made my day, week, month and maybe even my year.  He asked when I started doing this and I said "when I was 47" and a shocked look came over his face and he said "47?! How old are you NOW?!" I told him I would be 51 in a couple months and he said "I thought you were in your 30's!" I am guessing Tom doesn't get out much....


I bought it and returned shortly with Moby (my big white truck). Tom helped me load it in and I drove home happy as a clam, wondering where on earth I would put it. David and Cooper were out of town until Sunday night, I had about 24 hours to figure it out, come up with a story and then make sure it all looked clean and tidy.

The treadmill sat in the truck in the driveway all night, I needed help and Mark was too tired after removing his brick chimney all day.

I spent the evening, until 10:30 moving everything around in the guest room and discovered a zillion things we didn't need, most of it under the bed, which got moved to every corner of the room as I attempted to fit everything in and still be able to walk around the bed. In the morning, after I returned from the gym, Mark came and we moved it to it's new home, right by a great window that I can open when it's hot.

The boys came home and David walked by the guest room and said "What the??" I explained that it was only $50.00 and he wanted to know why we needed a treadmill. I told him that I didn't have to go back to the gym at night now. He seemed a bit annoyed.


Cooper walked by and said "What the??" and asked what it was doing there. I explained and he wanted to know why we needed  a treadmill. When I told him why he seemed a bit annoyed. "I live here too!" he said. "Well", I explained. "You have two rooms, and the treadmill is in the guest room, not in one of yours, so I don't see how it inconveniences you at all." He replied that treadmills are noisy.


After they got settled we talked a bit, and I told David that he could actually use it every night too, it would be a great way to ease back into exercise! Luckily I had made them beef bourguiginon and buttered egg noodles for dinner, so by the time they finished, all was forgiven and the treadmill stays! 


Monday I had the day off, I met Roy at 10:00 am so I slept in and skipped my conditioning- there was no way I was going to run around the gym, expending all my energy and arrive at BodyComp too tired to train hard. We went longer, his 11:00 cancelled so he said we would keep going. I spent the afternoon prepping food and at 4:30 climbed on my new toy. I started up my Kindle Fire and a movie, 30 minutes went by so fast! I am going to have fun with this.

Quads

Saturday is quads again, I have been "over training" for several weeks, hitting hamstrings twice a week and quads twice a week. Soon, I will change that and go back to one quad day, one hamstring day and then a combo leg day (both quads and hams).


This over training has resulted in my legs being sore in one place or another constantly, and I mean all the time. Seems I get a moment when they start to feel OK, then I hit them all over again.


Saturday I arrived at 6:00 a.m. opening and warmed up on the treadmill, then stretched. I walked down towards my favorite power rack and as I got there Alan stuck his face in mine and says "Are ya deaf!!?" He had been following me trying to get my attention, but my music was way too loud. He was going to San Francisco and wanted to know the name of a restaurant we had talked about.


I then started in on my squats. I noticed that both of my quads were bruised, odd. They both had bruises in just about the same location. I couldn't figure out why.


I warmed up quite a bit, 45 pounds, 65 pounds, 85, 95, 115 and finally started in with 135 pounds, 10 reps. I am concentrating on maintaining the same strength in each leg as I rise up from the squat, I have been "shimmying" as one leg is stronger than the other, and I get partially up then veer to the left and then up, an odd movement and not desirable.


I actually think I may have conquered it today! But we won't find out till Roy watches me from behind on Wednesday.


I finished 3 sets and moved to the Leg Press. Again, several warm ups and then 4 sets of 10 reps at 450 pounds (plus the weight of the machine).  I know I should be able to do more on this, but it is only the second week I have used it, and haven't used it in ages since before this. 


Then up to the Leg Extension. Again, not something I typically use, and I may start using it before squats, I haven't decided yet. Warm up then 5 sets of 10 reps at 110 pounds. I am actually seeing more muscle and definition in my quads, I am super excited!


I have a busy day with my brother planned, so need to get some cardio or conditioning done now, I will not be able to do anything later. Saturdays the entire Basketball Court is taken over by men playing.....basketball! Can you imagine? So I really cannot go use the facility, I decide to hit the stairstepper for 20 minutes.  I forgot how boring it can be, at least on the stairmill my feet move! But they were all full so this is all I could do.


8:05 and I am done! Home for coffee and breakfast of 1 cup egg whites scrambled, 1 whole fried egg on top and a small serving of steel cut oats with peanut butter....


In the shower I figure out why I have bruised quads, it's the Donkey Calf Raises. The 3 plates hanging down between my legs. The chains from the dip belt hit right where the bruises are. I have got to change my calf training on Monday.

Conditioning Natural Method

Along with resistance training, I do conditioning. Call it cardio if you like, but that's not really what it is. Cardio is the stairmill, the treadmill, bike, some group exercise class.


I used to use the stairmill quite a bit, and since December I have only used it once, I started taking kickboxing class on Saturday's with Jerome Turcan and have incorporated his conditioning into my routine. I do this conditioning on my own 3 to 4 times a week.


I really have enjoyed it and I like how I can change it. It can also be done anywhere really, as long as you have the space.


Saturday I went into the gym and lifted, it was quad day and I felt good and strong. I was there an hour and 20 minutes then on my way home I started feeling like I was coming down with something, my stomach started churning.


I ate then laid down and fell back asleep. Kickboxing would start at 10:00, hopefully I would feel better by then. 


I don't get sick often, I started thinking maybe it was psychological. I have had a really rough two weeks and not only was I emotionally drained, I was physically exhausted. Perahps I was using this as an excuse to remain curled up in a ball on my bed....That's all I needed to kick start myself, I got out of bed at 9:45 and asked Cooper to wrap my hands, I was in a hurry to get to AKA.


I ran in the door and Jerome was shouting "run Kristy, run!" I pulled off my pants and jacket, grabbed my shin guards and gloves and hit the mat running with everyone else, I was glad I came.


We went through the 30 minutes of conditioning, and this time I was the one creating the pools of sweat on the soft blue mat. It felt good, I felt alive again. I was the leader! Ha, in the past I struggled to keep up with the guys and this time I was done first. Jerome looks at me and says "Where are you Kristy?" I say "10" and he shouts to everyone to stop, come to the center for a change. We went through the floor exercises, and as we transitioned between conditioning and kickboxing I stopped to say hi to the only other female. She said she was just trying to keep up with me, I advised I may not be the best to watch and we both laughed.


Then 30 minutes of kickboxing, Steve volunteered to be my partner- he was at Jerome's on New Year's Eve too, we sat next to each other at dinner. I struggled with the combinations, Steve would smack me with his glove once in a while and say "Can I at least see one part of the combination he asked for?!"


Jerome said they were easy- things like low kick, jab, cross, hook, upper cut, elbow, knee, high kick, hook, low kick. I was having a hard time remembering everything. I need to practice on my own more.


The conditioning is what I love so much, after class I talked with Jerome about it, I asked what made it so different, so special. Jerome explained it was a style of training developed by Georges Hebert called the Natural Method. Hébert was born in Paris. While an officer in the French Navy prior to the First World War, Hébert was stationed in the town of St. Pierre, Martinique. In 1902 the town fell victim to a catastrophic volcanic eruption. Hebert coordinated the escape and rescue of some seven hundred people from this disaster. This experience had a profound effect on him, and reinforced his belief that athletic skill must be combined with courage and altruism. He eventually developed this ethos into his personal motto, "Être fort pour être utile" ("Being strong to be useful").

Contrary to the widespread belief that his approach was exclusively based on his observations of the natural movements of indigenous people, his method is a synthesis of various influences, including but not limited to:

• The work of his predecessor Francisco Amorós, who published in 1847 Nouveau Manuel Complet d'Education Physique, Gymnastique et Morale and which encompasses already the full range of practical movement aptitudes
• The work of German Prussian gymnastics educator Friedrich Ludwig Jahn (August 11, 1778 – October 15, 1852), which has also probably influenced the early physical training of the United States Marine Corps
• The classical representations of the human body in Graeco-Roman statuary and by the ideals of the ancient Greek gymnasia
• The naturist (although strictly rejecting complete nudism) lifestyle principles of his friend Dr. Paul Carton (1875–1947)
• The influence of Georges Demenÿ (1850–1917), a French inventor, chronophotographer, filmmaker, and gymnast who emphasized the progressiveness and the scalability of the training

Hebert's system rejected the sclerosis of remedial gymnastics and of the popular Swedish Method of physical culture, which seemed to him unable to develop the human body harmoniously and especially unable to prepare his students with the practical and moral demands of life.

In the same way, Hébert believed, by concentrating on competition and performance, competitive sport diverted physical education both from its physiological ends and its ability to foster sound moral values.

Here is a great video that shows a bit of what the Natural Method might be if you were to train outdoors. (Email readers will need to navigate directly to the blog to view this video).


Jerome includes most of this in his conditioning, including the jumps and back crawls (I guess our own sweat is the water!)

My first kickboxing experience

The Pain and the Pleasure

I am smiling, but inside I am crying. Everything hurts, and that is not typical for me. I find it very interesting as I believe the order of my training split has really been the catalyst, and of course the fact that I have been off all week so I am training like a fiend! 

I switched up my split because I couldn't train with Roy on Monday, so I trained shoulders on my own in the afternoon after returning home from my father in laws house.

Tuesday I was at Courtside at 5:00 am and I trained calves and then ran through my kickboxing conditioning, all out, 100% effort. At 1:00 I trained with Roy and we trained quads. I was OK then, the split squats did not get the better of me. 

Wednesday I was at Courtside again at 5:00 am and did it all over again, the basketball courts are empty that early, I can run and box and the place is all mine. My abs were sore because I not only trained them with my conditioning on Tuesday, but I tried a machine on Monday afternoon that I had never used before. Brett was sitting on it as I sat resting in the squat rack between sets, we were talking and I laughed and said I had never used it, in fact I pretty much steer clear of machines. He told me to give it a try, it would cause me some pain. He was right.


At 4:30 pm I met Roy and we trained Hamstrings. My hamstrings and glutes were still sore from my hamstring training on Saturday, it was hard to go heavy. But I did, I failed at the end of my GHR but I killed the single leg barbell deadlifts, heavier than last week. These glutes will soon be their own person.

Thursday I was at Courtside at 5:00 am and trained back and biceps, then down to the basketball courts for conditioning again, but I couldn't go as long, my body ached all over and the heavy weight session wiped me out.

Friday it was Courtside again at 5:00 am for calves and conditioning, I took my time since I was still off work and I finished at 6:45 am. Then Roy at 12:00 pm for shoulders. 


Saturday I was at the gym at 6:00 am when they opened for leg day! And my glutes and hams were still sore from Wednesday, hmm that means they have been sore for a week non- stop right?  There would be no kickboxing class, in fact I would be going to Jerome's for dinner. I looked for a studio to do my conditioning, but every single room, plus the basketball court was full. Seems everyone decided to get fit on this one last day of the year.


Saturday night as I sat at dinner party on New Years Eve, I was massaging my very sore forearms, I guess from the rope training we did on Friday.


I got home at one in the morning, much later than I ever stay up but enjoyed myself at one of the best dinner parties I have ever attended! I think there were 23 of us, the youngest was 5 months and the oldest in their 80's. We sat for hours enjoying course after course (after all, most of the guests were French and the French know how to enjoy food!). Luckily I made sure to drink plenty of water and had two liters at dinner. I decided to sleep in and go to the gym whenever I woke, and unfortunately David had his cell phone by the bed and at 6:00 a.m. it ran low on batter power and an alarm sounded. Ugh...I couldn't go back to sleep, so decided it was about time for the gym! I went in, hit the back and biceps hard and went home after an hour an a half.


I am down three pounds and I think it's the cardio that I swapped for kickboxing style conditioning. Although I have been off all week, I haven't added any extra workouts in, although I have lingered longer that usual at the gym. I have been enjoying several good meals with the family so all I can attribute this to is the conditioning, I will definitely keep it up and just watch to make sure I don't drop much more right now, it's too early.

Change of Pace

I go through this every year, and you would think I would have it under control by now but I still do not. I am feeling Big with a capital "B". Yeah, I am not trying to make anyone feel bad, I know I am not BIG, but I am big for me. The funny thing is, I am trying to get bigger! It's just hard to accept it. I work so hard to get small, then I turn around and try to get big...go figure (no pun intended).

As you know, I am thinking of competing on Womens' Physique instead of Figure, but that means a lot more muscle, a lot more weight. Putting it on invariably causes some fat gain too, and realistically you don't want to maintain a stage ready physique year round, it's not practical or emotionally advised.

My weight went from 118 on October 1 up to a high of 133 and I have maintained at about 130, 131 for quite some time. I look pretty good but when I see photos of myself at competition time it's hard to accept my newer "softer" look, although I do really like the bigger arms , legs and butt. I guess it's just the soft belly I don't like. Get rid of that and I am a happy camper! 

I always change up my training, that includes what I do with Roy and on my own. As much as possible, I will keep with his current protocol, for instance, I train shoulders twice a week, but only once with Roy. The second day is on my own and I try to re-create what we did. Ideally I would increase weights or reps but sometimes it's just not possible (I need a spotter, physically or emotionally), so I stick to the same. I try to stick to the same for legs too. Back is always on my own, but I try to follow the protocol, if we are doing fewer reps on everything else, I will do the same for back.

What I do vary is my mornings when I am at the gym and not lifting, because I will train with him that evening or afternoon. For quite some time I was hitting the stairmill and then training abs, I would do this Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings since those are the days I train with Roy later, and I would also throw in stairmill on weekends too after lifting.

He and I both agree (as did SC) that abs really pop when you have super low bodyfat, so crunching away day after day isn't what will make a difference. Abs come with squats, deadlifts, pull ups, full body moves, not all those ab exercises everyone toils away at day after day. I do plenty of squats, believe me!

At my last competition I was encouraged to "bring up" my quads and calves, that means make them bigger, and I have been diligently working on them and my quads look tremendously better. We train my quads and hams so hard that some days I don't know who enjoys it more, me, or Roy! 

A couple weeks ago I stopped my stairmill and and abs. I changed it up to train my calves and do the same type of conditioning I learned from Jerome at kickboxing. 

So I train calves then hit the basketball court and recreate the conditioning routine that Jerome taught me. It includes running, jumping, squats, burpees, push ups, crunches, boxing, jump rope and whatever else I feel like throwing in. It's hard, much more difficult than any old stairmill!

We will see how it all goes, I don't want to create too much of a calorie deficit or I won't gain muscle, I have to find that sweet balance we are all looking for, and then hold on tight!

What is Your Fitness Lacking (Fitness Blog World Post)

I am a member of Fitness Blog World. 21 talented, motivated, energetic and amazing women who write about fitness. Today we are all writing about what our fitness may be lacking. 

This was very easy for me to write, I know exactly what I am lacking and I have been working on it.   I have no problems with goal setting. I know how to eat properly. I have a great trainer. I have a manageable schedule. I have the knowledge. There is just one thing that I don't do enough (although I know I should).

Stretching

And it feels so good, so why do I struggle with this?

I have a great foam roller in my living room, but I would only use it when I was really sore. I have read quite a bit about how it is important to stretch and roll on a regular basis, not only to feel better, but to prevent injury and promote muscle growth.

Still, I wouldn't. There always seemed something better to do, something more exciting or challenging. I am also on a fairly tight schedule, so if I have to cut something out, it won't be any lifting at all, it will be stretching. 

I think in the back of my mind, it's similar to the same school of thought that many people who train with weights have. They only train what they can see. So, since I cannot "see" any progress or change from stretching, I can easily justify the fact that I eliminate it.

Well, I am wrong!


I always feel better when I stretch, and several years ago I was Yoga devotee. Three nights a week I would go  to my 90 minute Yoga class led by Venus. She was the reason I went, she made the studio so calm and warm, and as I would lay on the floor, she would bring essential oils over and hold them under my nostrils, or rub them on my temples. I always felt like I was floating on a cloud when I was done. But she moved away. I have never found an atmosphere like the one she created in that studio.


Oh I digress. I was trying to tell you that I LOVE to stretch, it feels great, it is necessary for a well cared for body. So....I am making a point of stretching more, to get that "cloud" feeling back!


Actually, Roy makes me stretch before we train, and that is really what has pushed me to incorporate stretching more. I am really enjoying my new schedule. I could probably do more, but for now it's a great start.


Monday 5:00 am Cardio 20 minutes/ abs 15 minutes/ stretching 15 minutes
Monday 11:30 am Stairs and jump rope
Monday 5:30 pm Weights with Roy
Tuesday 5:00 am Weights at Courtside
Tuesday 11:30 am Stairs and jump rope
Wednesday 5:00 am Cardio 20 minutes/ abs 15 minutes/ stretching 15 minutes
No stairs- standing meeting :(
Wednesday 5:30 pm Weights with Roy
Thursday 5:00 am Weights at Courtside
Thursday 11:30 am Stairs and jump rope
Friday 5:00 am Cardio 20 minutes/ abs 15 minutes/ stretching 15 minutes
Friday 12:00 noon Weights with Roy
Saturday and Sunday 6:00 am Stretching, Weights, Cardio, stretching (again)


I shall now try to roll on my foam roller a bit at night, just before bed. As the boys watch TV I could easily do that!


Advise I would give to others would be to schedule the time in. I have found that since I have it written on my sheet, and have worked it into my routine, I don't skip it. I even find that some days I am stretching and rolling a lot longer than I allotted, and that's great!


Be sure to visit the Fitness Blog World site and check in with all of the other writers.  

Wednesday's cardio

Have I said I don't particularly care for cardio? I think so, maybe once or twice. I have found that changing things up can keep it more interesting.

I can lift weights the same old way for ages and never get bored, although I understand it is not advised, so I change things every three weeks.  My point is weight training doesn't bore me at all, cardio does.

All of us, no matter who we are and how advanced we are, can learn from other people. We can also use refreshers, it's easy to get in a rut and forget things we used to enjoy or do a while back.

I once attended a Phat Camp with Jen Hendershott, loved it!  Two and a half days of training, I learned so many new things to keep it all interesting, she does a lot of cardio! I still have all of the exercises on my torn and tattered paper as a reminder.


If Jen comes round here again I will sign up and maybe drag Stacy with me!

The other night I watched a DVD called "The Sport of Figure" and it featured Ava Cowan. She showed several exercises that she likes to use, and it reminded me of several I had forgotten. 


What I did come away with was HIIT on a bike. I used to "spin" quite a bit and stopped when I started training with SC. My main goal has always been to add muscle, I am a naturally lean person, adding muscle is not real easy for me. When I would take a spinning class he used to get in my face and say "You want to get big or you want to get small?! Pick one!"


What he meant was I was just burning up my calories on that spin bike, calories and hard earned muscle. I don't spin any longer.


But doing 20 minutes of HIIT is different, a lot different than an hour of spinning. HIIT has been proven to burn fat and spare the muscle.


According to Jonathan Ross, American Council on Exercise personal trainer of the year and author of Abs Revealed; 8 to 12 minutes of intense intervals can burn as many calories as 25 to 30 minutes of constant moderate-exertion exercise. He says: "Pick your favorite cardio machine and do one minute at a high intensity (at least a 7 or 8 on a scale of 1, with 10 being all-out effort) followed by rest or a vary low intensity (2 or 3 on the same scale) for one minute."


So what have I been doing? 5 minutes warm up  and then 20 minutes of one minute intervals, fast as I can for a minute, then recovery for a minute. Over and over until I can't go on.


It's not too difficult if that is all I am doing, like a morning when all I do is cardio because I will meet Roy in the evening. So I did it again on Friday morning. But I tried it on Saturday after my leg day...failure! I could only go 10 minutes, I was spent.


I am not concerned, If I really worked my legs hard I shouldn't be able to do this. So I finished off on the treadmill at a 15% incline.


So Sunday I trained back and I trained hard. I took it outside again, the cool air kept me going. I was able to do the 20 minutes, then an additional 20 on the stairmill. Lots of men on the courts, but they all had their shirts on!


Monday after work? Me and the bike!