Fitness Competition Journal: 20 weeks of training completed. Phase 2: Game on! Expected Competition date = Don't worry about it

I have completed 20 weeks of training towards my goal of becoming a Figure Competitor.

That in itself is an accomplishment that I need to take a moment to celebrate.  I would also like to add that I've seen progress every single cycle.

Things have changed again.

This week has brought about a major shift and it's actually pretty exciting.

She dropped a bomb on me:  This isn't the bucket list

So after a skype session with Roxie on Tuesday she dropped a major bomb on me.  She says, "I would like you to wait until later on in the Fall to compete because you need refinement"

On the surface I was thinking "WHAT!  MORE OF THIS!!! I WAS READY TO BE OVER WITH THIS BY SEPTEMBER SO I COULD MOVE ON!"

Internally I was thinking

"What's wrong with me that I can't do the 20 week prep that others do?" BUT I was also thinking "Good.  She knows just like I know deep down that I can bring it if I really and truly take my time and go through the ENTIRE process."

With the addition of Bikini and Physique, physique competitions have become much more popular.  You go to a gym and it seems many people are preparing for shows.  This is a positive and negative thing.

World Class Coaching

I think it's great more people are getting into the lifting lifestyle, but also there's a lot of bad coaching out there.  Just because you want to do a show in 20 weeks doesn't mean you SHOULD do a show in 20 weeks.  You may not be READY to be competitive and also your body may not be READY for the rigors of getting that lean.

One of the reasons I picked Roxie as coach is because her clients are successful and they look great on competition day.  If I do something, then it needs to be WORLD CLASS.  I do NOT want sloppy and raggedy.

The difference between a mediocre coach and world class coach is preparation and readiness.  A mediocre coach will let people go out there no matter if they are ready or not.  They can be kinda ready but because the coach isn't invested in the athlete, they just let them go out there and lose or place poorly.

A WORLD CLASS coach makes sure her athletes are READY and PREPARED.  Every DETAIL is prepared.  ALL the systems are drilled and even if something unexpected comes, it's easier to readjust.

Proper Preparation prevents poor performance.

This isn't the Bucket List

So the question is:  Do I want to do this  just  to say I did it?  I set a competition date, completed it regardless of whether or not I'm truly ready, and crossed it off of the bucket list.

OR

Do I want to go through the ENTIRE PROCESS, be truly ready, and get up there and let Chante Fierce own that stage and place where I place, but KNOW that I truly BROUGHT THE FIRE.

Decision made: This isn't the bucket list

Re-evaluation Time!

On Wednesday I took the entire day off from my meal plan and workouts.  I ate what I wanted and I enjoyed it.  I went to La Boulange and had a great time.  I also had some cornmeal crust pizza and some cookies for dinner.

Part of it was because I really need to learn how to "fail" and move forward.  I have a tendency to keep beating myself up about things.  Here was an unplanned day off and either I was going to continue in the downward spiral or just pick it up and keep it moving.

I have been at this for nearly 5 months and last I really needed to wrap my mind around the real goal which is to bring the heat.  I really needed to re-evaluate my mindset.  Why was I doing this in the first place?  That's a whole other post, but I decided that doing this for some sort of vindication and validation was not acceptable and I needed to re-evaluate my motives.  (More on this in another post)

I ALSO decided to remember that I got into this because I wanted to LOOK like a strong woman that exuded strength and power.  It is BODYBUILDING.  Not body starvation.  I needed to get back into the idea of building my body to be strong and pushing past my limits, not just prancing around in a bikini.

Thursday I woke up with a new mindset and I couldn't wait to hit the gym.  I'm sure all the sugar from the previous day helped to fuel me through.

Partying like  Roxstars Bay Area Style

On Saturday I met with Cassandra, who is a national level figure competitor and also one of our Roxstar Coaches.  She helped me with my posing and stage presentation.  It was very empowering and motivating because I felt like I belonged and not like I'm just pretending and playing Figure Competitors.

I was reassured that I'm not pipe dreaming and this is going to happen if I keep going because I'm not way off base here and she really confirmed my thoughts that my coach does know best.  If she thinks I need more time to really bring the fire, then I need more time.  We signed on with Roxie because she brings her clients to competitions in shape and they do well.  

They do NOT look like string beans.  They look Strong!

I still need to work on being more graceful in my heels...that seems to be the toughest part.

So when is my show?  I don't know yet...sometime in the Fall but rest assured I am going to bring the HEAT when I get up there.

GET READY! GET READY! GET READY!

Model Turns

Quarter Turn to the Right

Perspective Change #2: Stop being so focused on the scale and focus on your body composition

If you're on social media, then you have probably seen ads that claim that ____________ went to enter whatever quick fix method (supplements, bootcamp, challenge, etc) and lost 25 lbs in 30 days and is now happier than ever.  

Really now?

I'm not going to sit here and be so self righteous and act like I have never bought into the hype.  I most certainly have which is why I would like to save you the time, frustration, and money by telling you to put those ads on ignore.

Advertising

As a communications major in college, one of my professors asked us what was the purpose of television.  As naive young people our answers were noble:  Television was meant to inform, educate, bring together diverse backgrounds, provide an outlet for artists

WRONG

The purpose of television is to sell advertising. 

So everything on television is meant to get us to go buy something.  The purpose of these diet ads aren't to motivate you, educate you, or inform you.  It's to get you to go buy whatever miracle method that is being sold.

In college I knew a student who wanted to be on an informercial for a DVD fitness program.  It was one of those do this DVD 3x per week and then you will lose 20lbs in 30 days deals. I don't think this program ever made it to market because I never saw it, but anyway she wanted to be on the informercial and she was going to give a testimonial that she did this for 6 weeks and now she looks amazing.

First of all she already looked amazing.  Second of all she told me that in order to be on this informerical you not only had to stick to the strict diet that they designed for you, go to personal training sessions, and then you may have a chance to be on the informerical.  

Say what now?  The diet was not a  part of the program that they were selling and I'm sure most people were not going to have the best personal trainers in town in addition to the DVD's they worked out with 3x per week.  

Of course early in the morning when you can't sleep and you're eating cookies, a lot of these programs sound very tempting and just the thing to solve your weight problems.

Get off the scale

Get off of it.  Throw it away if you need to.

Stop using it as your only metric to gauge progress because it is not the best method of tracking progress.

People ask me how much I weigh now.  To be honest, I don't know.  I only check when it's time for my update to send into my coach because when it's competition time, they won't care how much I weigh.  It's about how I look.  Furthermore I know there's changes and getting on the scale messes with my head.  If the scale is up 2 lbs, I'm angry for the rest of the day and want to go eat all the things.  As a woman, scale weight is going to fluctuate all over the place so it's really not the best gauge of progress.

Scale Weight and Water Retention

Depending on how much water or sodium you consume, your weight can vary by substantial amounts.  In the week between Christmas and New Years, I have my eat whatever you like week.  I started off 2014 11 pounds scale weight heavier than in December.  Did I really gain 11 pounds of fat?  No, I was retaining a ton of water because I was eating, drinking (not a lot of water), and being merry.  

Depending on how much sodium you consume and if you're not drinking water, you could be holding a substantial amount of water.  That's why when most people start a diet that first week, they see a substantial drop.  Most of it is water they are dropping because they are eating less processed foods with less sodium and drinking more water.

Of course if you're a woman, then you already know that there are certain times of the month where we will retain a whole lot of water and that can be anywhere from a 3-7 pound difference. 

Carbohydrate and Water Retention

Why do people love low carbohydrate diets?  They see scale drops right away.  Is it because carbs make you gain weight?  Not exactly.  

Here's the short version: 

When you eat carbohydrates, they've got 4g of water (amongst other things) riding along with it.  This is why when people go on low carbohydrate diets, they see immediate scale drops and may "feel" leaner because they are holding less water.  

So what happens when these people start eating normally again because I have YET to see someone sustain these quick fix low carb diets as a lifestyle.  

That's right!  It comes right back on!  No thanks.

Body Composition

If I hear one more "trainer" say that muscle weighs more than fat, I will scream. 

 MUSCLE DOES NOT WEIGH MORE THAN FAT.  A POUND OF MUSCLE = A POUND OF FAT.  They just look totally different.  

Fat takes up more space than muscle.  Here is an excellent visual example of 5 lbs of muscle vs. 5 pounds of fat.

I know women who weigh 170 pounds, but look as though they weigh 140 pounds just because they carry a lot of muscle( and with it a lot of glycogen and water.)

I believe clients need to be much more concerned with their body composition than scale weight which is why I am big on measurements.  I had a case where a client lost 3 lbs in 6 weeks, but ended up losing 11 inches all over and there was a noticeable difference in her body composition in that short amount of time.

Time and time again I see clients whose bodies are changing, but the scale may not be moving as fast as they would like.  Whatever.  We will concentrate on their body composition which is how much fat vs. muscle they have.

My goal with clients is to: lower body fat, sustain or build lean body tissue.

I'm going to get to this later on, but ladies:  You can't "tone" fat.  You're going to have to lift some heavy things and eat.

Better ways to track progress

Measurements

This is my favorite because we are ALL different and genetics determine where we will begin to change faster.  Some people hold on to excess body fat in their lower bodies.  I carry my body fat in my midsection and I know when I see movement in that area, something's happening.

If you don't want to bother with all over measurements, then make sure to measure your abdomen, right across the abdomen.  That is usually a great indicator of progress.

Pictures

This has been a great tool for me to gauge my own progress.  If I went according to what my mind was telling me, then there was no progress.  Nothing was happening.  Pictures told a very different story.  It's really a great tool to be able to visually see changes.  We see ourselves every day and aren't very objective.  Pictures show you visual progression.

I'm definitely going to keep doing this once my competition season is over.

I have goals for my improvement season and that will help to keep me on track to make sure we are training for the desired goal.

Clothing

We all have that one pair of pants that motivated us to do something about our current condition.  Tell me I'm lying!  When you can't get on your favorite pants or shirt, then it's time to take action.  

If you're not at the place where you want to take measurements or do pictures, get that pair of pants out that you couldn't zip without ending up on the floor and use it as your progress pants.

Tune out the advertising and quick miracle transformations

If I can't get anything else across it's that sustainable fat loss TAKES TIME and your body is going to respond how it is going to respond.  Everyone is different. You can be following a plan and only losing 0.5lb of body fat a week because biologically that's what your biochemistry, metabolism, and genetics have determined is your rate of fat loss.

Well that's too slow you complain.

Let's say that happened over the course of a year.  You would have lost 26 lbs of body fat and I'm sure if you're doing it slowly and effectively, then you probably gained some lean body mass.  I would venture to say that you would LOOK like you lost way more than 26 lbs.  Let's look at that visual of fat vs. muscle once again.

Can you see how 26 lbs of that yellow stuff being gone would make a pretty big difference.

I have lost 10 pounds scale weight in one year and looked like I lost 20 because I lost body fat and gained lean body mass.  Sure it was slow but I did not rebound and have to start all over again or from a higher set point.

I want people to tune out all these fake promises, exaggerated transformations, miracle weight loss cures, and focus on creating a sustainable atmosphere for fat loss and a lifestyle that optimizes their health.

If you must weigh yourself, then do it once every 2 weeks AT MOST.  Beginning of the month and end of the month.  Use it as a data point but not as a defining point.  There are better ways to gauge progress.

GET OFF THE SCALE!

Perspective Change: Time to be realistic about how long it takes to achieve fat loss

With the rise of social media, I fear that people are becoming even MORE unrealistic about how long it actually takes to create a sustainable atmosphere for fat loss.

It does not happen overnight and it shouldn't be the entire focus

This is where I think bodybuilding gets it right.  Bodybuilders typically have an offseason where the goal is to gain as much muscle mass as possible.  Now in order to gain muscle mass one must EAT because you need additional calories to sustain your body mass.  Now if you're in a caloric surplus (which you must be in if you want to gain muscle mass) then you will add some body fat as well.  The goal is to add as much lean mass as possible while not going overboard with the fat gain.

This is why people cannot maintain contest looks all year round.  Well natural competitors and those without superior genetics cannot be shredded all year.

OK then we have the contest prep.  This is where the goal is to lose as much body fat as possible while still maintaining as much muscle mass as possible.  

This is where I am right now...in the valley of contest prep.  

Since my coach actually knows what she is doing, the goal is to eat as much as possible and do as little cardio as possible in order to lose body fat.

Now for me as a first time competitor and with genetics that like to hold on to body fat, I have not been able to do a standard 12-18 week contest prep.  I simply have not progressed at that rate and that is fine by me because from a physiological standpoint if we had gone at that rate this is what would have happened:

1.  I would have had my calories cut way too low and I probably would have quit or went Silence of the Lambs on everyone

2.  Say I would have survived my calories being cut to some ridiculous number, I would have lost fat all right and also lost muscle mass and looked stringy and skinny on stage.  I would have looked terrible.  Instead the idea is for me to lose the body fat and keep muscle mass so I look full onstage.  I am not trying to look emaciated.

3.  After the show I would have eaten everything in sight and had a rebound where you gain all the weight back and then some.  This has actually been shown to be true in a study.  In the book Good Calories/Bad Calories, Gary Taubes cites a study where men went on a diet of about 1200 calories a day while simulating World War 2 marches.  Well afterwards the men gained all of the weight back plus some.  I will be talking about this later on.

4.  My metabolism would have slowed down because it adjusted to eating 1000 calories or however many paltry calories we cut down too.  When I started eating normally again, my body will gain weight because it's used to surviving on 1000 calories and that's where it is set.

What I am doing is not SUSTAINABLE for long term fat loss. When this is over I'm not going to turn into Sherman Klump but I'm also not going to stay really lean.  I'm going to eat to grow so I can get back up onstage again even better than before!  Mmmhmmm cause I'm gonna do it again.  But my goal will not be to eat all the things and gain a whole lot of fat.  I have an exit strategy

How long will Sustainable Fat Loss Take?

Of course I need to preface this by saying everyone is different.  Depending on your goal, genetics, training history (newbies will have more success), hormone levels, stress level, etc. it is all different.

Ok I want you to sit down for this one and if you're sitting down, then I want you to take a deep breath.

You need to give yourself 1 year to create a sustainable atmosphere to lose body fat.

There I said it.

I know that won't win me any fans in the realm of social media or advertising where people want to hear you can lose 50 lbs in 50 minutes if you buy my Multi Level Marketing Magic Beans or come to my bootcamp where we destroy your joints and pass out cookie cutter diets so that you can lose 20 lbs in 3 weeks!

I have clients who lose 20 lbs in one year and guess what baby...they haven't gained it back or rebounded.  They have also started to lose cravings they have for sugar and other things and they are still making progress.

Sidenote:  I can't wait to get my website and youtube channel coming this fall because I will be posting RECEIPTS of what I am talking about.

If you want SUSTAINABLE fat loss then you need to give yourself 1 year to achieve this goal.

Turn off the marketing scams, the BS sold to you by gyms who want to make a sale, and social media.  Coach Scott Abel posted something so awesome on Facebook last week that I want to share with you.

Careful what you "think" you see on Fakebook. Every week somewhere someone is posting "awesome" before and after pictures of their transformation and thanking their "awesome" Coach as well, and everyone comes in "cooing and congratulating." Well first of all, you need to wonder how sustainable is that "after" picture you are all cooing over. And worse - to many of us in the know - these so-called "Coaches" are known to insiders as little more than sub-culture "drug-pushers" - not experts. Oh yes, your friend's B and A was "awesome and incredible" but are they telling you about the thyroid, the GH, the estrogen blockers, and the whole host of other pharmaceuticals used to get there, that their "awesome" Coach prescribes "if you want it bad enough" - I'm willing to bet THAT PART of the whole story is left out of the conversation. So as so many of you continue to coo and congratulate - many others in the know continue to shake our heads and realize this truth reflected in this industry -> "There are none so blind as those who have eyes, but just refuse to see."

He's so spot on.  What you see on social media in large part isn't true.  It's marketing and I would love to see the afters of these people in a year.  I can tell you that within the Bodybuilding subculture on Instagram a lot of these people who get super shredded for their shows, rebound, and then become unrecognizable.  It simply isn't sustainable.

Time to Get your Mind Right

1 year. 

This is all about Commitment

Commit to 1 year of changing habits and lifestyle change instead of going for the quick fixes, going hardcore until you burn out, quitting, and then having to start all over again.

STOP THE MADNESS.

Tell yourself this is a PROCESS that will take TIME.  You did not get where you are overnight and you're not going to leave it in 12 weeks or whatever other BS people try to sell you.

Tell yourself that you are going to stay with it and make changes little by little.  Little by little changes add up to BIG changes later on down the line.

Be patient with yourself, celebrate small successes, and for PETE'S SAKE STOP FOCUSING ON ALL THAT IS WRONG AND BEGIN TO FOCUS ON THE SMALL VICTORIES AND STEP FORWARDS THAT YOU ARE MAKING!

While I'm on that tangent:  Please have some fun while you're at it. You can enjoy your life while you're making lifestyle changes.  That's why it is sustainable because you're going to do this for the rest of your life.

1 year.  12 months.  The 12 week, 6 week, 8 week Bullcrap isn't working.  Try something different.  Commit to the PROCESS.

It works.

Happy Training!

Fitness Competition Journal: Losing sight of the real goal and 8 week Progress Photos

My mind is right.

I knew I was back on track when "Baby Boy" by Beyonce came on during my warm-ups and I had my choreography ready.  I also sang out random songs and danced around during my workout.

I am back.

I also had an EXCELLENT conversation with my coach about why I got so discouraged and defeated. It was funny because on my drive home from my workout that morning I started thinking about why I wanted to take my training to the next level in the first place.

I am passionate about strong, powerful, and empowered women.  I decided that I wanted my physical presence to embody these values.  I always admired strong looking women and I never wanted to look like a string bean so I decided to get serious about my training to achieve this goal.

I wanted to have a strong and athletic build.  I admire women like Serena Williams, Cory Everson, Linda Murray, Monica Brant, and other strong and powerful women.  I wanted to have visible muscles especially in my upper body.

So all that's happening now.

I can see the muscles in my back.  My shoulders are strong and powerful, but I was so caught up in the hype of competing that I wasn't acknowledging the progress I've made and what I've already accomplished in these 20 weeks.

The truth of the matter is that I have made so much progress in the last 5 months and a lot of it isn't physical.  A lot of it has been in my mental game.

I'll see you when I get there

With the recent explosion of physique contests, EVERYBODY is doing a show.  It used to be something that only a few did, but now it has become very popular.  I knew that if I was going to get onstage that I was going to do it the right way which is why I took my time researching methodologies and what type of coach I was looking for.

I wanted someone who did not believe in metabolism wrecking crash dieting which would only leave me looking like a string bean because I dieted all my muscle off and I wanted someone who understood that everyone's biochemistry is different so cookie cut diets aren't a part of the plan.

I found all of that in Roxie and what I liked is that just because I had set a show date, that did not mean that's what she was going to stick to.  We were going to when I was ready.  Just because I wanted to do a competition in 16 weeks didn't mean my body was going to cooperate.  

I am doing this competition all natural so I'm only using food and training to get lean.  It's just going to take longer for my body to acclimate and as a fitness professional I understand all of this.  It's the same thing I coach my clients on.  We need to diet on as many calories as possible and take our time rather than this 25 lbs in 6 weeks garbage.

So when is my show?  I'm still hoping for September but if that doesn't happen there's always another show.

As Roxie said I am doing everything I can to make progress and I am. 

I'm over 90% compliant with my eating (99% as of this writing) and I don't miss workouts so I'm doing everything to march toward my goal.  I just have to believe this, stay the course and continue on.

I'm going to get onstage in 2014 whether it is in September and I'll see you when I get there cause I'm gonna get there.  (Anybody else remember that Coolio Song...I'll C U when U get there)

Progress Photos

Fitness Rules to Break this Week...Cut Calories and Do Hours of Cardio to lose Body fat (Part 1)

Warning:  These next few posts will require you to throw out everything conventional wisdom, social media, and the mainstream fitness/marketing media tells you about fat loss.

I knew I could not do this one in a single post and it looks like I'm going to be camped out here for a while, but I'm passionate about this issue.

I'm sick of listening to trainers tell their clients to eat 1000 calories (or some other arbitrary number they throw out like 1200) and tell them to do an hour of cardio a day and they will lose weight in some really fast time frame.

People may  lose weight for a minute, rebound (regain the weight plus some), and then have to start all over from a higher set point.

DRASTICALLY CUTTING CALORIES + HOURS OF CARDIO DOESN"T WORK FOR LONG TERM FAT LOSS AND YET PEOPLE ARE STILL DOING THIS!

Are you with me?

When I became a trainer about 10 years ago, they would have us tell clients Eat less, move more.  That is the key to WEIGHT LOSS and all you need to do to lose weight. It is the law of thermodynamics.  It is a LAW...and you can't argue with it.

Got it.

Never mind genetics, dieting history, biochemistry, age, gender, etc.  Eat less/Move More.  Simple

Were they right?  Yes.  If you want WEIGHT LOSS, follow that rule.  Cut your calories  low and do hours of exercise is what that phrase translated into for most people.

Work with me here.  I'm going to use MYSELF as an example

I'm eating less and moving more, but I am gaining body fat.

I am not one of the genetically gifted.  My body loves to hold on to body fat and so I work with what I've got.  It's all about being the best version of me.

Gaining Weight in spite of...

I am a group fitness instructor and I enjoy teaching classes. I have had a revelation about group fitness and its place in the exercise realm, but that's another post.  

From about 2006-2011, I taught between 5 - 10 classes a week in addition to working out on my own lots of running/treadmill and strength training.  I even did half marathons during this time, so I was definitely moving more.

I was also gaining weight and was baffled as to why.  Hello!  I'm working out like crazy and my diet isn't terrible.  I certainly wasn't eating McDonald's or horrible food, but I was definitely hungry from all the extra activity so I ate good whole foods.

During this time from about 2006-2009, I was unhappy about gaining so much weight.  I think from about 2006-2008 I gained about 30-35 pounds.  I went on diets that I crafted for myself.  I never went below 1500 calories, but I would cut calories.  I would lose 5-10 lbs and then get stuck.  I'd try to get in an extra workout or maybe cut out bread or some other food group hoping that the scale would move.  Sometimes it would, but then it would go back to the higher number.

I did have an entire life meltdown in 2008 and I gained about 15 pounds during that time.  I was really disappointed in how I had let everything go because I had given up and I let everything go including my passion for health and fitness.

After deciding that my life wasn't over,and I did not need to give up on life, I admit that I cleaned things up in 2009 and got back into eating and training the way I should have been and dropped about 20 pounds on my own. 

Fast forward to 2012 and I decide to sign up for personal training.  I wanted to eventually compete in a figure competition so I knew that I needed help.

During this time I also decided to stop teaching so many classes and stuck with two formats: Bodypump and Cycle.  I cut down to about 4 classes a week  As I began to learn more about adrenal fatigue overtraining, and chunky aerobics instructor syndrome I cut down my classes even further.

I reduced my teaching schedule went down to teaching about twice a week and both those classes were Bodypump classes.

With personal training in the span of a year I would say I lost about 10-12 lbs scale weight and the body fat drops (which is what is the key) was even more significant.  My body composition totally changed and I ate mostly the same foods I ate on my own diets, but I wasn't AS hungry so I didn't eat as much.

In 2013 I did not teach at all and I was leaning down even more.

What gives?  Turns out that wasn't a novelty at all.

World Renowned Charles Poliquin has a term for it:  Chunky Aerobics Instructor Syndrome

Chunky Aerobics Instructor Syndrome

What is Chunky Aerobics Instructor Syndrome

Poliquin found that many Group Fitness Instructors have high amounts of body fat despite exercising up to three hours a day.  Poliquin's theory is that the body adapts easily to cardio training so you may be performing 3 hours of cardio but soon your body becomes efficient at the exercise and thus enters the law of diminishing returns.

In other words: Less bang for your buck.  Let's say you just started a fitness program and  during an hour long cardio session, you burn 300 calories.  Well in about 3 months that number will be reduced because your body has ADAPTED to that training.

Anecdotally I can say that I have seen the same amongst instructors and also experienced it myself.  It was only after I started cutting down the cardio work (through group fitness classes and on my own) that I started noticing changes.  I was lifting more and I was less hungry.  In 2013, I was lucky if I did cardio 2x per week and that's saying something from a reformed cardio junkie.  I was scared that if I didn't do cardio, I would get fat.

Well I was gaining fat and doing tons of cardio, so may as well try the opposite and guess what?  I got leaner than I had been in years.  My cardio was mostly cardio strength metabolic workouts and the occasional run or spin class if I felt like it.

In training for the fitness competition, my coach does not have me doing 2 hours of cardio per day.  All that will happen is that my body will adapt and become efficient making it harder to lose weight.  I do cardio for about 30 minutes a session every day and I also do circuit training with weights to keep my metabolism humming.

Time for a perspective change

The way the fitness industry teaches clients about fat loss is wrong and why people end up getting frustrated with the entire process.  They cut calories too low, do their endless hours of cardio and lift 5lb weights, lose weight, get hungry, eat, rebound, and start all over again only now their metabolism has slowed down, they've raised their set point, and at this point many give up and continue to gain weight.

It's time for a perspective change and several things need to happen.

1. People need to be realistic about how long fat loss takes and stop looking at these silly social media "transformations" of people who took BooBoo the fool's shake and went to hardcore bootcamp and lost 50 lbs in 3 days.

2. People need to stop chasing numbers on a scale and be concerned about your body composition.  Much of these "Weight loss" miracles are water, glycogen, and even worse...muscle loss. 

3.  Learn how to eat as much as possible and be comfortable with it.  Yes you NEED to eat (ladies that's for you)

4.  Get off the endless cardio train and pick up some (challenging) weights

5.  Stop with the 1200 calorie nonsense or other arbitrary numbers that trainers are throwing out there and eat as much as possible without gaining fat (I feel like I am going to have to drive this point home)

Challenging Conventional Wisdom

I once read a quote that said that people like conventional wisdom because it makes them feel better when what they are doing isn't working.

If you're tired of starting the fat loss process over and over again, then it's time to stop listening to these ads (which are designed to take your money), stop with the starvation diets, quit the ineffective low intensity cardio for an hour/lifting 2lb weights for "toning", and begin to get real that this process is going to take TIME and your methods need to be SUSTAINABLE.

Time to stop Shooting yourself in the foot

Get ready for this...I'm going to be here for a while!

Fitness Rules to Break this Week: You only need to work your muscles every other day

Disclaimer:

I need to preface this post with this disclaimer:  Programming all depends on your training goals.  My posts are generally targeted to general fitness/fat loss clients and not sport specific.  Severely de-conditioned clients may need extra rest days to recover, but the goal is to improve conditioning (faster recovery) so you are able to increase intensity and volume.

Should I exercise every day? 

Let me ask you these questions:  

Do you move every other day?  
Do you squat down to use the toilet every other day?
Do you just pick things up and carry them every other day?

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that most people answered No to these questions.  

So why should you only work your body every other day?  I believe most people can benefit from exercising 5-6 days a week and no it doesn't have to all be in a gym. 

What is the purpose of exercising?  Why are you doing it?

Get ready for this next statement:  

I also don't believe you should exercise solely for the purpose of losing body fat.

There I said it.

Your ultimate goal should be to be in excellent physical condition SO THAT you can LIVE LIFE TO ITS FULLEST.  

How many want to be one of those folks who is barely making it and can't go anywhere or do anything fun because they are too tired and too out of shape?  It's depressing to be around folks who don't have the energy to do anything except go to the buffet.

I've said this before, but I think one of my clients has it right:  Exercise so that you can be fit to go on vacation. There's nothing worse than not feeling comfortable enough to do fun things on vacation or be able to carry your own luggage through the airport because you're too out of shape.

Longevity

How about longevity?  I see so many seniors at the gym who are still able to work it.They put some 40 and 50 year olds to shame.  I know a man who is 87 years old and is over there bench pressing 95 pounds and he lifts weights at least 4-5x per week.  We all thought he was at least 20 years younger than he is.  Whenever I talk to these folks, they all tell me exercise is what keeps them going and guess what?  All of them have vibrant lives and they are out traveling, participating in community activities, and LIVING.

What about overtraining and Injury?

I've talked to people who said that they heard that you're only supposed to exercise every other day or else you will be overtraining.  


Overtraining is serious and someone who is going to the gym for an hour  five times per week is more than likely not in danger of overtraining.  

I've seen group fitness instructors get overtrained and also endurance athletes.  The body will start breaking down and getting injured, recovery will be much slower, and some people begin to gain weight due to hormonal imbalances and adrenal fatigue.

If you feel that you need a rest day, then take a rest day!  The gym will be there when you come back.  Take time off as necessary.  LISTEN TO YOUR BODY, but you'll find that as your conditioning improves you will be able to do more.

Risk of Injury

What about increased risk of injury?  

I believe this is where proper maintenance and programming come into play.  You should be doing your detailed maintenance (Foam Rolling), warming up properly (I prefer dynamic warm-ups), performing mobility work (you can do this during strength training or as its own separate day), and I see nothing wrong with some static stretching.   If you pay attention to all parts of fitness (including flexibility and mobility) then you will have decreased risk of injury.

Joint Health and Safety

What about your joints?  Great Question!  I don't believe that people should be doing high impact activity every day and ESPECIALLY if they are not in the weight room strengthening the muscles to support their joints or working on their flexibility and mobility.  

This is why I have a problem with some group fitness classes and some of these boot camps.  It's all high impact exercises and people do this stuff up to 5x per week.

I see heavy people doing these classes with all of this jumping and sudden movements and I know that's all they are probably doing.  It isn't uncommon to hear about knees and everything else hurting because they are not varying their routines nor are they on a strength/flexibility program to support this type of training. 

If you've been training for a while...

I can guarantee you can more than likely handle higher volume workouts.  This may mean working the same muscle groups 2 days in a row and resting the 3rd Day.  If you're after an aesthetic goal then your coach/trainer may have you hitting lagging body parts a couple more times a week to bring them up. 

The goal is to improve your conditioning.  Conditioning is how fast one recovers so if you're still very sore then take a day off and as your conditioning improves you will be less sore and need to take less rest days.  REMEMBER TO LISTEN TO YOUR BODY.

I also believe in changing workouts every quarter (periodizing) so that the body is progressing and we vary our workouts to include different aspects of fitness.  Right now I am working on strengthening abdominals, stretching out low backs, flexibility, and of course higher volume workouts.

High Volume Workouts  

If you've been training for a while, add high volume training to your routine for 3-6 months and see what happens.  High volume training is performing more sets and basically going for broke during the workout.  

With my coach she works my legs to death because shows are won from the back and therefore butts are very important Culturally this is important to me as well.  I'm anti-pancake booty. 

Now the Fitness Rules would say this is wrong and I should only work legs 1-2x per week.  I hit legs 3x per week which one day is focused primarily on glutes.  I have not gotten injured because I am conditioned enough to handle it.  My weights have also gone up during this time so I haven't lost strength. Of course I make it a point to work on mobility and flexibility and Roxie also makes sure that we work legs from different angles.  This is where proper programming comes in.

If you have been training for a while, begin to experiment with your workouts.  What can you handle?  Listen to your body.  If you can do more then go for it.  I believe a big part of the reason people do not see the results that they are looking for is because they aren't challenging themselves enough.

Mix it Up!

So let's say we have a client who is looking to get in better physical conditioning and looking to lose some body fat.  They are fired up and ready to go!  They are taking my advice and working their muscles every day.  

Monday:  Group Fitness Cardio Class (FOAM ROLL BEFORE CLASS)

Tuesday:  Strength Training (Circuit Training) 4x through with 15 minutes of Cardio at the end

Wednesday:  30 mins Cardio/Corrective Strength Training (dynamic flexibility/strength work)

Thursday:  Strength Training:  Supersets/20-30 min Interval Training 

Friday:  Cycle Class (FOAM ROLL BEFORE CLASS)

Saturday:  Run outside/Hike/Lifestyle activity/Twerking at the club

Now this person has worked out every single day and done something different.  We've hit Flexibility, Strength, Cardio, and had some fun.

My advice:  Work out for more than just losing body fat.  Do it because you want to be in top physical condition so that you can live life to its fullest.  Try different forms of exercise so that you don't get stuck in a rut.

Happy Training!

Fitness Competition Journal: To HELL with Giving Up

Last weekend On Saturday July 5, I was ready to quit life.

OK I'm being dramatic but I was ready to give up on everything in my life that I have been believing for and investing in.  It wasn't just the fitness competition but EVERYTHING else.  If you're interested in spirituality and such, then you can read my blog about my spiritual journey where I talk about this more in depth.

But last Saturday I was just ready to give up for several reasons.

1) I decided I didn't look like any of the people on Instagram who compete and I am wasting my time, energy, and money on something that most likely will not happen.  I also decided that even if I make it to the get onstage part, then I will get up and look like a fool because I do not look like anybody's figure competitor.

2) After the meltdown on Sunday and a few Teddy Grahams on the Fourth of July Night, I decided that I did not have the stuff it takes to make it through the contest prep process and I can't do it because it's going to get harder and I'm just going to keep failing.

3) Nothing seems to be happening - I feel like I am doing all of this believing and working and nothing is happening.  No excitement at the gym...nothing is happening and I'm just fooling myself so I should give up and just stick to stalking Simeon Panda on social media.  This would be a great place to have him make his debut on my blog because

a) it's my blog
b) I believe in putting your vision down on paper.  
c) It's my blog and I can do what I want

I wonder why there aren't people like him at my gym, but with my track record this is probably for the best because I most likely would be hauled down to 850 Bryant on harassment charges.

Simeon Panda

You know Simeon Panda sure is fine AND he has a British accent.  I would have to pull out  the old school for this one.  Prince of course... U got the Look!  U got the Hook!  Sho nuff do be cooking in my book!  Ya face is jamming!  Ya body's hecka slamming.  

Even Rick James is necessary for this one:  There's no dictionary book to say how you look. Holy Smokes and Gee whiz! COLD BLOODED! 

OK I am getting totally off track here...Where was I?  Oh right...Giving up.

Sigh.

So the first order of business was to acknowledge that I was feeling this way, reflect, and move on.

Acknowledging the Feelings

Rather than resisting the feelings, I decided to acknowledge that I felt this way.  I didn't try to muster any faux bravado and say some empty cliche catch phrases.  

The truth was:  I was feeling discouraged and defeated.  Why was I feeling this way?  

First I was comparing myself to others and that's always a great way to get into the pits. 
I also stumbled (again) so I didn't feel like it was worth trying anymore. 
 I acknowledged it.  I didn't judge it but I acknowledged it.  
I also didn't waste my time justifying the way I felt.  I acknowledged that's how I felt and I had to be in that space because it was where I was and trying to pretend otherwise wasn't facing reality.

During the workout to keep myself encouraged, I was journaling in between sets.  I would write some encouraging mantras.  I also wrote how I was feeling but I kept going.

I asked myself what would happen if I gave up. I knew that I would feel even WORSE about myself so that wasn't an alternative.

Reflecting

When I got home from the gym, I decided to spend some time reflecting.  I looked over the journal I have been keeping of this experience.  I have come such a long way and there have been so many a-ha moments and growth opportunities along the way.  I reflected and read some encouraging materials that addressed the waiting and endurance process.  It helped to confirm a lot of what I was feeling was normal and I felt reassured about where I am in my journey

Moving On

I decided that I wasn't camping in the wilderness of defeat and discouragement.  I was out of there.  All of meals were on point Saturday and Sunday I got up to do my cardio and had one of the best sessions I've had.

On Sunday I received encouragement not to give up and to keep going.  I also received my mantra for this week and probably the rest of the contest prep (no matter how long it is)

TO HELL WITH GIVING UP!

So I've moved on from wanting to give up in this moment and I'm moving forward.  Before it's all said and done, I will probably want to quit again but the vision is too great, the desire is too deep, and I've come too far to give up just because it's taking longer than I thought.

Don't Stop Believing

My job is to believe.  Point Blank and the period.  

When you believe the vision, the dream, and the desire it all flows from there.  Your actions will flow from that place because there isn't another choice. It's about my belief that this is an important mark on my journey and I am going to finish it.

So if you have a dream or vision within I am encouraging you to keep going.  It doesn't have to be health or fitness related, but if there's something that you feel is calling your name and you want to do it.  Go for it and don't give up.

Your job is to believe it will happen no matter how discouraging it is, how it seems that there are no results, or it doesn't seem worth it. You must be unrelenting in your belief and vision otherwise discouragement, defeat, and giving up are imminent and your dreams will die.  Then what?

TO HELL WITH GIVING UP.

See you onstage.

5 Fitness Rules that you should break this week!

 I'm over the rules.  

The rules don't seem to be working yet we seem to be reluctant to break them.  As a nation, we've heard all of these rules don't eat bananas after 5 p.m. or better yet EVER, only workout every other day, eat sugar free, gluten free, and taste free food but we're still out of shape and more miserable than ever.

I say let's say throw the rules out and keep what works. First of all: everyone is DIFFERENT.  We all metabolize food differently, we all have different biochemical makeups, and all of us have different backgrounds/paradigms.  

One of the things I've learned is that we need to approach our health/wellness instinctively.  What works for one person, may not work for other people.  For instance my coach has me doing high volume training and that works for me.  I've responded really well to the program.  Now the RULES say that this is wrong.  I shouldn't be training the same muscle groups 2 days in a row, but it works for me and I have not gotten injured.

This week I am going to be sharing with you 5 Fitness Rules that you should break or better yet kill them altogether.

5 Fitness Rules that you should break or better yet should die

1) You have to do Cardio and Strength Training as Separate Workouts

2) You only need to work your muscles every other day

3) You need to drastically cut calories and do hours of cardio when wanting to lose weight

4) Beginners should do easy workouts

5) There is an ideal body weight and look that everyone should aspire to

1) You have to do Cardio and Strength Training as Separate Workouts

Who came up with this rule?  It simply isn’t true.

If the goal is body fat loss or total body conditioning, then I prefer to incorporate cardiovascular work into our strength sessions because the more muscles we get working, the more the calorie expenditure.

I’ve had clients wear their Heart Rate monitors to our sessions and they were ASTOUNDED to find that their heart rate was higher than it is when they go for a run. (One of the reasons I love HR monitors)

When I am trying to improve client’s conditioning, sometimes I will have them run on the treadmill for about 3-5 minutes during the session.  I want them to maximize our sessions.

During my own workouts sometimes I have treadmill intervals at the end of each circuit.  All of this is to get that metabolism revved up during the session and afterward.

I also like to incorporate exercises such as: Stepups, Popsquats, Mountain Climbers, Kettlebell swings, and burpees into the session so we can get some total body work going and these exercises elevate the Heart Rate.

The more muscles we work...the more calories we burn!  

Most people need to combine their cardio/strength workouts because they are pressed for time and also they need to work on overall fitness and conditioning.  Unless your goal is bodybuilding/aesthetic work, I’m not all that hot on you doing split workouts.  General Fitness/Fat Loss Clients are much better off combining Cardio and Strength Workouts.  If you work out 3-4x per week, I definitely recommend this method of training.

Here’s a sample workout I would use with a Fat Loss Client utilizing Cardio and Strength Training

Of course we would do a dynamic warm up first but here’s a sample circuit.  I also made sure to include the purpose of the exercise

Sample Workout

Circuit 1

Plie Squats (squat)

Push Press (push)

Push ups (Push/Body weight Exercise)

Gate Latches (Slow Pop Squats with stabilization)  (stabilization/Reactive Training/Conditioning)

Walking Lunge (Mobility/Lunging)

Row to Triceps Kickback (Pull/Multi Joint Exercise/Core Stabilization)

Intervals on the Bike for 5 minutes: 1 minute Fast/1 min Recover (Cardio/Power)

Stay on the Lookout for my YouTube channel where I will be demonstrating these exercises and also my vlogs!!

Until then,

Happy Training!