Fridays Training with Roy

Well? Do you see what I do? A pretty ripped Kristy! I am feeling so wonderful right now! Damn look at those veins!


What brought all this on? Besides a great diet, a wonderful trainer, a determined attitude and a whole lot of hard work?


Friday, the alarm sounds at 4:00 a.m. but I am already awake, I feel really rested, some nights I sleep better and work has gone from stress level 800 to level 5, I am feeling better about everything.


I had my Lean 1 and supplements and checked email....fixed the typos in the latest blog posting then off to the gym, I am there just before they open at 5:00 a.m.


Only 20 minutes on the stairmill, I am listening to Big Nation again, the guy next to me looked alarmed when I threw my head back laughing at the discussion in my headphones.


Stretching, and rolling and that little tennis ball on my delts...it hurts and feels good all at once.


Home to shower, get to work and I am off just as soon as I got there, out the door at 11:30 a.m. to get to BodyComp Personal Training Gym to train shoulders with Roy.


I asked about my post training drink and supplements, I am cutting even more now and that is 200 calories, mostly sugar, it has to go. I will instead just keep on with the glutamine, BCAA's, creatine, and amino acids.


We did more stretching, I even hung from the cable machine for a while. 


Then  seated behind the head barbell presses.


Lateral dumbbell raises, like none I have ever done, I couldn't use weights as heavy as I have been, what does that tell you? Did you see my delts in this picture? They look good don't they? 


Unilateral Cable raises, across the chest.


We are done. I know it doesn't sound like a lot, but Roy makes sure that we use proper tempo, as much time under tension as possible to build the muscle, it means slow, deliberate movements, not fast jerky ones using momentum. You must admit, I look a lot more muscular than I did before I started training with him. 




I had to stop at Joanne's to get something and I saw this sign as I walked back to my car.

I had been thinking of getting a foot massage anyway, and this was even less than the one by my house. I am a daring person, I love adventure, I decided to go in, I mean, what do I have to lose?

Now, how do you suppose you can have a foot massage and not loiter?

I can use this, I need to relieve stress, I need to relax, it's always good to improve circulation, but I am not a "headache" person, I don't usually get them. And, I have found that a massage immediately after weight training feels so wonderful!

I loved the interior of this place, it seemed lighter, cleaner, more open, same big comfy chairs (are they all red??), and they had a big screen TV with landscapes of waterfalls and oceans showing and relaxing music.

A woman started and for the first ten minutes she worked on my face, head and neck. She then moved to my shoulders and arms. After twenty minutes two men came over and one went to my feet and the other leaned over and said "strong man"...." we brought a strong man for you", and the lady left me.

I am not sure, but I don't think they do that to everyone. Maybe I scared her?

He started on my feet, they had been soaking in a large wooded tub of hot water. He massaged and asked if it was too hard. I told him "no, I like it hard, you can go harder" and he let out a quick gasp of air and went to work, I could hear him breathing with effort every once in a while.

My feet, my legs, I fell asleep. Then the heart shaped paper cut out is placed on the opening in the headrest and I flip over. He starts on my back, digging deeper and deeper, it hurts a little, but I feel the knots being pushed aside.

My lower back, my glutes, my legs, my neck. Everything is massaged, for an hour, for $15.00. That's how much one cocktail costs poolside at the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas (not that I ever had to buy my own mind you!)

We are done, he gives me water, I give him a tip and leave to pay. The fellow asks me how it was and I tell him "wonderful, I loved it, what is his name". He said the masseuse was Casey, was he too hard? People complain about him being too hard. 

"No, no, no, he was great, I love it hard, I will be back to see him again."

I took a card and wrote his name on it and wandered out to my car, time to go home and eat.

I had a great mixture of cauliflower that was baked with paprika and chile powder; eggplant, leeks, peppers and broccoli. Along side a big vitellone patty, rare, super rare. A big glass of water.

Life is good. Fridays are heaven on earth.

Deadlifts and Squats

 

People ask me all the time what they should do in the weight room. I know there are so many different exercises, it can be overwhelming and intimidating.

First, as I have always said, you really need to hire a trainer. Not just any trainer, but someone who understands your goals and has the knowledge to help you reach those goals.

Interview them, find out what experience they have and make sure they are in agreement with your goals. I once had a trainer who thought women shouldn't be muscular- only "toned" so we ended up parting ways as I wanted to get big and he didn't want me to get big. We are still friends though.

Anyone (and I mean anyone) can be a Certified Personal Trainer, it isn't rocket science. There are some certifications that are considered better than others, and some can even be taken online, which means anyone could actually take the test...

You may actually have a friend who is willing to help out, just don't suck up too much of their time, they need to train too.

But maybe you don't want a trainer, or can't justify the expense, or you don't know anyone who can help out, what do you do in the gym?

Deadlifts and squats.

These are the two most important lifts that you can learn and you should do.  They should be the core of your training, you should do them every week without fail.

What are the least popular lifts in the gym, the ones that few people do?

Deadlifts and squats.

Why? The answer to both is simple. They are effective and they are hard.

That's why they are the best and the least popular!

These two lifts work your entire body, every inch of it. And any strength coach worth their salt will tell you the same thing. Also, they are not going to aggravate a bad back or bad knees if you do them properly.

Please don't mistake a 40 pound fixed weight bar with a proper Olympic bar- with weights added!  You need a real weight, one that will scare you a bit and make you take a deep breath as you approach it.

Oh and if you are a woman, you know what will impress men more than any other lift in the gym?

Deadlifts and squats.

Start lifting and start living!

Below is a video where Matt Wenning watches a lifter squat, and corrects his technique.  Matt is one of only a handful of people to total over 2600 lbs in a professional competition, hold an all-time world record of 2665 lbs in the 308-lb class, and bench press over 800 lbs in a full powerlifting meet. He currently the owner and a private strength coach at Ludus Magnus gym in Columbus, Ohio, a personal trainer to many executives and professionals at Capital Club Athletics, and contracted by the US Army. He also works with firefighters, physicians, children with disabilities, and all forms of athletes in the Columbus, Ohio, area. If you like this video, there is a part 2, 3 and 4 of the same fellow as Matt helps him to increase the load he is able to squat.

You will be able to find the rest of the videos at EliteFitnessSystems

Email readers will need to navigate directly to the blog to view the video.

RDL's

RDL's or Romanian Deadlifts are one of the most effective ways to train hamstrings.

They also look pretty impressive from behind.....

The exercise isn't really from Romania, the story is that the Romanian Olympic Lifter Nicu Vlad (who is credited with doing ~300kg, yes that’s 660 lbs., in the exercise) was seen doing them in the Olympic training hall at some point prior to either winning a medal, setting a world record, or possibly both.

Since he was Romanian, the movement got dubbed the Romanian deadlift.

Many people think they are the same as straight legged deadlifts, but they are not, not at all.

Both the RDL and SLDL target the same primary muscles which are the glutes, hamstrings and low back (additional work is done by the upper back and gripping muscles). One of the primary differences between the RDL and SLDL is that the RDL only works the spinal erector muscles statically, as there is no movement in the spine itself.


Set the racks in a power (squat) rack to just about knee level (there is no need for safety's- if you lose control during a lift, just drop the weight), and set an  Olympic bar on the rack. Walk up, squat down slightly while maintaining a small curve in the lower back, grasp the bar, and stand back up. You want your hands to be shoulder width apart, perhaps slightly wider if you find it to be more comfortable. Take a few steps back, and set yourself for the exercise. Being set includes making sure your feet are shoulder width apart, your chest is up, your lower back has a slight curve in it, and your knees are slightly bent (not locked).

I like to use my own lifting straps, it's easier to grasp the bar and I am not fond of the big ones they have at the gym..

Start by tightening your core to ensure a secure spine. Keeping the bar close in to your body (it should maintain slight contact with the body at all times) start to bend at the hips, taking care that the lower back does not move. I run the bar down my thighs actually, you can see the redness that it creates.

Your lower back should not loose its natural curvature at any time during the movement. Loosing this curve and bending or even straitening the lower back will put your lower back in a potentially injurious position. Practice with a light weight until you can bend over at the hips without bending the lower back as well.

As you descend, your butt should move back ever so slightly and you should feel a stretch in your hamstrings.

At the point right before you reach the limit of your hamstring range of motion you should stop and then reverse the movement, taking care to keep the bar in close and maintaining a safe (slightly curved) lower back position. Towards the top of the movement really force the hips through by squeezing the glutes. Repeat for the number of repetitions you want, walk the bar in over the racks, squat down slightly and return the bar to the rack.

The biggest mistake most people will make in the execution of this exercise is not maintaining the position of their lower back. Some will even go so far as to bend all the way over till the weight touches the ground. This is a huge no-no and is a reflection of the misunderstanding of this exercise and its purposes by most instructors.

In order to properly stress the hip extensor muscle groups, you must use intensity levels that are much too high for the lower back to handle in a prime mover or synergistic role. In order to derive maximum benefits from the RDL, you must keep the lower back from moving and let it play a much safer role as a stabilizer.

In fact, if done properly, you can safely handle extremely large weights on this movement with little to no danger to your lower back.

Me? I am doing 185 right now, 5 sets of 10. My hams look pretty good too...

Quads with SC

I trained with SC on Saturday, first time since May. I had a great time! It was quads, quads, and more quads.

I got there at 8:30, it was nice to sleep in, of course, I had no choice, he wouldn't meet me any earlier.

The glutes look great so we need to hit quads and hit them hard!

First, something to "jack up my CNS"  (central nervous system). We set up the squat rack, with the bar low, so that I need to dip down slightly, keeping a straight back, bending the knees so I can grab it with an alternate grip.

I will do this 5 times, basically I am bending at the knees 6 inches or so and then straightening my legs while gripping the Olympic bar, and then setting it back down.

We load weights on, I do 5 reps. Rest. We load more weight one, I do 5 reps. We load more weight on. SC says " Do you know how much this is?"

I tell him not to say that to me, my head will get in the way and I won't be able to lift it. I look at the bar, there are three plates on each side, three big wheels. I am lifting 315 pounds of iron.

I do three more sets. I need to rest.

We talk a bit, about what is going on in our lives, I like catching up, I enjoy his company. I like the facility, it's serious business, we are the only ones there. Iron, rubber flooring, dust and chalk, no fancy stuff. And 11 Olympic lifting platforms, a real gym.

Now it's front squats. I will go as heavy and as low as I can. 5 sets of 5 at 135 pounds. Front squats are a lot more difficult than back, and they really make your quads burn.

Next step ups, but not the ones I have ever done before.  These will focus entirely on my quad, of course a bit of the glute gets activated, that cannot be helped, but my quads feel this, it is hard. Slow and steady.

I have an Olympic bar across my shoulders, with only 10 pounds added on each side, believe me that's enough.

I will step onto a high box, it's 18 inches I believe.  I place my left foot on the box and lean over so that all weight is on the left foot and the right toe is barely touching the ground. I will push up onto the left foot, straighten my leg then touch back down with the right; however, big difference form regular box steps, my right foot never touches the ground, only the toe does and only for a second.The weight remains on the working leg the entire time. Time under tension.

The quad is absolutely burning. 10 on the left, then 10 on the right.

If I was doing this on my own I would have stopped, but I can't stop with SC sitting there watching me.

I rest, then two more sets, it takes forever.

It's been an hour and a half, time to stop.

David took this picture on Sunday, my shoulders and arms look good, quads are not sore yet, but they will be on Monday. My traps are sore from hoisting that 315 pounds so many times.

I LOVE this!!

Hard work or Excuses?

Hard Work. Excuses.

My husband will tell you I see one or the other, there is no in between with me.

It's either black or white, there is no gray.

So how do I maintain this year round?

It takes a lot of hard work to train every single day, to wake at 4:00 am in the dark cold; to pull on your shorts and lace up your shoes, still wishing you were asleep in the soft, comfortable bed. Standing at the counter, drinking a protein carb replacement meal, attempting to wake up enough to hoist a huge barbell countless times.

It takes a lot of dedication to eat a strict diet when you would rather enjoy almost anything else. Wishing you could sit and eat ice cream from a carton (I have never done that but I have read that many people, especially women do it often); to eat a small bag of chips; to have a couple cocktails and snack on nuts!

To come home from a long day at work, only to put some shorts and training shoes on yet again, and then push yourself out the door for a session of running stadium stairs, track intervals, plyometrics, kettlebells.

Hard work pays off though. I see it in myself everyday. When my muscles grow rounder and fuller with the weights, when my strength increases from the constant pounding.

My skin grows tighter against the muscles as I continue to diet, forming a smooth canvas against the hard roundness of lean muscle mass. I can feel the skin becoming thin, I can feel my body transform into a machine that is almost running on auto pilot.

I do not make excuses, I work hard, everyday.

Lifting Straps

I love these straps! I don't wear gloves when I lift weights, although I used to. When I started training with SC, it was in a college athletic facility, so it was pretty much a testosterone filled room. Lot's of sweat, loud rap music, dirty socks on the ground, paper cups all over, bowls of chalk....yes chalk. No one wore gloves and I was not about to either.

When I would do heavy dead lifts, or RDL's my hands got slippery, so I was told to go stick em in the chalk. I used to hate the feeling of chalk, it's like fingernails on a blackboard. But I like it now. I used to like to plunge my hands in it, smack them together to see the white cloud then get chalk all over my quads.

When the deadlifts got really heavy, say in the 225 range, plain chalk just didn't do the trick, that bar was heavy and my hands just couldn't maintain the grip very long.

That's where these beauties come in! My gym has "lifting straps" but they are no good compared to these. Lifting straps are not sneered at like gloves are. "Real men" don't wear gloves I was told, but they can use straps. The problem with regular straps is they have a loop that you put your wrist through, and they tend to tighten up and cut off circulation, or they have a long hanging piece that just gets in the way.

These are from Ironmind and they are called "sew easy" lifting straps. They are cut and sewed together to provide the exact amount of fabric needed to just wind around the Olympic bar and stop you from loosing your grip.

I keep them in my gym backpack and take them with me everyday. I have loaned them to a couple guys and one of them has now bought his own!

If you are a serious, heavy lifter, I highly recommend these straps. Visit Ironmind and order some today!