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Friday, August 28, 2009
The different Catagories within Physique/Bodybuilding Shows for Females
Physique competitions are measuring your level of muscularity, leanness (conditioning), and symmetry. Within a typical bodybuilding/physique show, there will be multiple categories that based on different severities of these measures. Here’s a breakdown of the typical categories for the females, going from most stringent physically to least:
Bodybuilding (BB).
Bodybuilding (BB).
This is typically the stuff that the general public thinks of based on what they see on TV: Big, veiny, ripped to shred chicks who are running out barefoot onto stage and busting out crab poses and baring teeth. There’s obviously a big difference in BB chicks depending on if they are natural athletes or not. Natural female BB athletes are not able to put on as much muscle as juiced chicks because you need a lot more testosterone to do that. You will usually find this class of athletes in their 30s – 50s which I think is due to muscle maturity and as we get older the skin is leaner.
Figure.
Figure.
This was the evolution of female BB to be more feminized with the wearing of glammed out $1000 swimsuits, clear pageant heels, photoshoot ready hair/makeup, and posing without clenched fists. These ladies are typically what you will see as predominant fitness models on the covers of magazines and fronting fitness products. Physiques are still very tight, training is nothing short of a BBer but more focus on looking commercial.
Fitness Model.
Very similar to the Figure category but even more emphasis on having a mainstream look with a specific goal of being marketable. These ladies are more showy with model walks, themewear rounds in sportswear or costume, and points scored for personality and showmanship. A model look facially also will score points here. Abs are required.
Bikini.
This is what I called the Maxim or any men’s magazine pin up look. These ladies are in fantastic shape as well, they are lean, toned, tight but without significant muscle mass.
Bikini is usually the category that I compete in North America while in Europe I could also do Fitness Model and regional figure successfully. The Euro natural scene is a lighter aesthetic than North America; good for me, then I can eat more carbs! When I go to the States, I’m always amazed at the amount of muscle that the girls will carry… impressive yet intimidating if I’m competing against them.
Fitness Model.
Very similar to the Figure category but even more emphasis on having a mainstream look with a specific goal of being marketable. These ladies are more showy with model walks, themewear rounds in sportswear or costume, and points scored for personality and showmanship. A model look facially also will score points here. Abs are required.
Bikini.
This is what I called the Maxim or any men’s magazine pin up look. These ladies are in fantastic shape as well, they are lean, toned, tight but without significant muscle mass.
Bikini is usually the category that I compete in North America while in Europe I could also do Fitness Model and regional figure successfully. The Euro natural scene is a lighter aesthetic than North America; good for me, then I can eat more carbs! When I go to the States, I’m always amazed at the amount of muscle that the girls will carry… impressive yet intimidating if I’m competing against them.
Posh + Becks: Victoria and David Beckham
I adore her style and class. He is just ridiculously hot. Together, I love the photographic art that they create and it's always an inspiration for me.
Keep Your Muscle While Dieting by Dr. Joe Klemczewski
Dr. Klemczewski has multiple degrees health sciences including a PhD in health education. He is also a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and a drug-free professional bodybuilder (WNBF). Dr. Joe is currently working on his fourth book while maintaining a very active client load. For the last eight years Joe has been a contributing science editor for Chelo Publishing, a health and fitness magazine publisher in New York, is contributor for eDiets, and writes for MatureMensFitness.com.Article: http://www.thedietdoc.com/info-tdd.php?nav_ID=46&nav_Parent=26
Summary
The slower you can lose body fat, the more muscle you'll retain.
Lose a pound or less per week. That means your offseason has to be very, very effective at gaining muscle without too much fat.
Protein builds muscle. But protein in excess, however, can be used as energy or converted to body fat. Using protein as energy means less body fat is being used as energy. So, having the right amount of protein is optimal. Gross overages of protein isn't going to help you build muscle or retain it.
Carbs are key to retaining muscle.when dieting with a lower than normal carb intake, your carbs can be targeted to help you retain muscle, maintain energy levels, and keep your metabolic rate high.
Set protein levels high enough but not excessive. If you are active, seeking muscle, training hard, drink plenty of water, and want the best recovery, then go with 1-1.25 grams of protein per pound of lean body mass per day.
Set fat levels at no higher than 20% of total calories.
Set carb levels as high as possible while still staying on pace with weight loss.
Target your carbs to support muscle retention.
Cycle carbs if a prolonged low-carb run is necessary.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Diet and Workout Advice from a Fitness + Bikini Model
Many men and women ask me for the quick and easy tips on how to “get into shape”. So, here’s my experience with fitness and nutrition.
Keep tight on your diet.
I mean it. If you binge, it shows and consistency is the name of the game. Diets don’t work after 3 days! I take 12-16 weeks to prepare for my physique competitions because fat loss is a slow, steady grind of dragging myself to the gym day after day, week after week, feeding my body only what is considered clean food.
Cut the booze.
But I can't! How can I socialize without it?! ~Because it will make you fat, that's why. And you don't want to be the fat, drunk friend do you?
But in all seriousness, alcohol is a huge detriment to your diet because of the empty calories and the fact at that it's a liquid calorie, you often don't realize the impact. A Long Island Ice Tea is 700 calories. A typical burger is also 700 calories. (!)
Eat a good high protein/low fat diet with a moderate calorie intake.
Women: you want curves? Those are not fat pockets, honey. That’s muscle. Men: What do women want? Men with strong, healthy bodies. Your diet is 80% of the hard work and you need to fuel the body properly after all of those hours of working out. We have all seen those folks at the gym who are there regularly but why do they look the same year after year? Why do the experts of body transformations, bodybuilders, can change their physical composition in such a short time? Watch your portions, keep it high in clean proteins like chicken, fish, lean beef, etc, low carbs (potatoes, rice, breads), low fats (butter, oils, animal fats).
Eat lots of veggies.
Yes, veggies are healthy we all know that. But the real tangible benefits for me are when I’m trying to keep my calories controlled veggies are the least calorie dense food around, they fill me up with lots of fiber, keeps your system nice and clean, and don’t give me food coma like a typical snack can.
Let’s compare:
100g of raw veggies is typically around 10-30 calories
100g of fries is 294 calories
Drink at least 4L of water/day
Water keeps your skin clear, body working properly, and feeling full. When you are hungry, guzzle water and stick to your scheduled meal plan.
Start with 30 min. cardio at a high intensity and move up as you develop endurance
I like to do a HIIT stairstepper routine where I go all out for 1 minute (10 in effort), slow it down to a 7 in effort for the next minute, repeat for the next 30 minutes. When I need to step it up for competition prep, I’ll throw in a 30 minute steady state stationary bike session each morning. I’m also a fan of workout DVDs because of the convenience/machine boredom factor so mix it up, do whatever it takes to keep motivated.
Determine a weight training split that works for you, go heavy, and stick to it.
I used a 5 day body part split for most of my training: legs, back, arms, chest, shoulders and killed it on each of those days. Here’s an example of a weekly program:
Monday - Quads/Calves:
· Machine Leg Press 4 sets x 12 reps
· DB Lunges 4 sets x 12 reps
· Machine Leg Extensions 4 sets x 12 reps
· DB Standing Calf Raises 3 sets x 15 reps
Tuesday - Back:
· Machine Lat Pulldown 4 sets x 12 reps
· DB Rows 4 sets x 12 reps
· Cable Straight Arm Pulldowns 4 sets x 12
Wednesday - Cardio Only or Rest
Thursday - Chest/Shoulders:
· Cable Crossovers 4 sets x 12 reps
· DB Flies and DB Press superset 4 sets x 12 reps
· DB Lateral Raises 4 sets x 12 reps
· DB Front Raises 4 sets x 12 reps
Friday – Triceps/Biceps:
· Cable Pushdowns 4 sets x 12 reps
· DB Kickbacks 4 sets x 12 reps
· Tricep Dips off a bench 4 sets x 12 reps
· DB Hammer Curls 4 sets x 12 reps
· Standing DB Curls 4 sets x 12 reps
Saturday – Cardio Only or Rest
Sunday – Hamstrings
· One Leg in Air Pelvic Pop 4 sets x 12 reps
· Cable Lying Leg Curls 4 sets x 12
· Barbell Stiff-leg Deadlifts 4 sets x 12
Abs Workout Every other day
· Bicycle crunches 4 sets x 20 reps
· Medicine ball leg lifts 4 sets x 20 reps
· Medicine ball shuffle around seated pike legs 4 sets x 20 reps
· Side bends or machine torso rotation 4 sets x 12-15 reps
I squeeze in a session of yoga when I can to maintain flexibility.
I totally thought that yoga was way too slow paced for my hyper active personality. Then one day I gave it a try and I was impressed with the challenge it actually was. I also felt much more relaxed physically which in turn gave me more energy and enthusiasm to do my bodybuilding routine.
Keep tight on your diet.
I mean it. If you binge, it shows and consistency is the name of the game. Diets don’t work after 3 days! I take 12-16 weeks to prepare for my physique competitions because fat loss is a slow, steady grind of dragging myself to the gym day after day, week after week, feeding my body only what is considered clean food.
Cut the booze.
But I can't! How can I socialize without it?! ~Because it will make you fat, that's why. And you don't want to be the fat, drunk friend do you?
But in all seriousness, alcohol is a huge detriment to your diet because of the empty calories and the fact at that it's a liquid calorie, you often don't realize the impact. A Long Island Ice Tea is 700 calories. A typical burger is also 700 calories. (!)
Eat a good high protein/low fat diet with a moderate calorie intake.
Women: you want curves? Those are not fat pockets, honey. That’s muscle. Men: What do women want? Men with strong, healthy bodies. Your diet is 80% of the hard work and you need to fuel the body properly after all of those hours of working out. We have all seen those folks at the gym who are there regularly but why do they look the same year after year? Why do the experts of body transformations, bodybuilders, can change their physical composition in such a short time? Watch your portions, keep it high in clean proteins like chicken, fish, lean beef, etc, low carbs (potatoes, rice, breads), low fats (butter, oils, animal fats).
Eat lots of veggies.
Yes, veggies are healthy we all know that. But the real tangible benefits for me are when I’m trying to keep my calories controlled veggies are the least calorie dense food around, they fill me up with lots of fiber, keeps your system nice and clean, and don’t give me food coma like a typical snack can.
Let’s compare:
100g of raw veggies is typically around 10-30 calories
100g of fries is 294 calories
Drink at least 4L of water/day
Water keeps your skin clear, body working properly, and feeling full. When you are hungry, guzzle water and stick to your scheduled meal plan.
Start with 30 min. cardio at a high intensity and move up as you develop endurance
I like to do a HIIT stairstepper routine where I go all out for 1 minute (10 in effort), slow it down to a 7 in effort for the next minute, repeat for the next 30 minutes. When I need to step it up for competition prep, I’ll throw in a 30 minute steady state stationary bike session each morning. I’m also a fan of workout DVDs because of the convenience/machine boredom factor so mix it up, do whatever it takes to keep motivated.
Determine a weight training split that works for you, go heavy, and stick to it.
I used a 5 day body part split for most of my training: legs, back, arms, chest, shoulders and killed it on each of those days. Here’s an example of a weekly program:
Monday - Quads/Calves:
· Machine Leg Press 4 sets x 12 reps
· DB Lunges 4 sets x 12 reps
· Machine Leg Extensions 4 sets x 12 reps
· DB Standing Calf Raises 3 sets x 15 reps
Tuesday - Back:
· Machine Lat Pulldown 4 sets x 12 reps
· DB Rows 4 sets x 12 reps
· Cable Straight Arm Pulldowns 4 sets x 12
Wednesday - Cardio Only or Rest
Thursday - Chest/Shoulders:
· Cable Crossovers 4 sets x 12 reps
· DB Flies and DB Press superset 4 sets x 12 reps
· DB Lateral Raises 4 sets x 12 reps
· DB Front Raises 4 sets x 12 reps
Friday – Triceps/Biceps:
· Cable Pushdowns 4 sets x 12 reps
· DB Kickbacks 4 sets x 12 reps
· Tricep Dips off a bench 4 sets x 12 reps
· DB Hammer Curls 4 sets x 12 reps
· Standing DB Curls 4 sets x 12 reps
Saturday – Cardio Only or Rest
Sunday – Hamstrings
· One Leg in Air Pelvic Pop 4 sets x 12 reps
· Cable Lying Leg Curls 4 sets x 12
· Barbell Stiff-leg Deadlifts 4 sets x 12
Abs Workout Every other day
· Bicycle crunches 4 sets x 20 reps
· Medicine ball leg lifts 4 sets x 20 reps
· Medicine ball shuffle around seated pike legs 4 sets x 20 reps
· Side bends or machine torso rotation 4 sets x 12-15 reps
I squeeze in a session of yoga when I can to maintain flexibility.
I totally thought that yoga was way too slow paced for my hyper active personality. Then one day I gave it a try and I was impressed with the challenge it actually was. I also felt much more relaxed physically which in turn gave me more energy and enthusiasm to do my bodybuilding routine.
Spicy Fitness Meatballs Recipe
This morning I whipped up my version of meatballs. My tester was my colleague as usual and she gave it a thumbs up. Passed the taste test and good for your diet.
- 500g (1.25 lb) extra lean ground beef
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 2 tbsp dried oregano
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 mini tin of tomato paste
- 2 tbsp harissa paste (spicy Arabic paste)
- 1/2 minced medium onion
- 1/3 cup oats
Set the oven to 350f or 180c. In a pan, sauté the onions with a little water instead of oil until translucent. Combine all other ingredients in a separate bowl, including the onions.
In a shallow oven pan, make 10 meatballs out of the meat and pop in to the oven for 20 minutes.
-- Post From My iPhone
- 500g (1.25 lb) extra lean ground beef
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 2 tbsp dried oregano
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 mini tin of tomato paste
- 2 tbsp harissa paste (spicy Arabic paste)
- 1/2 minced medium onion
- 1/3 cup oats
Set the oven to 350f or 180c. In a pan, sauté the onions with a little water instead of oil until translucent. Combine all other ingredients in a separate bowl, including the onions.
In a shallow oven pan, make 10 meatballs out of the meat and pop in to the oven for 20 minutes.
-- Post From My iPhone
5 Weeks out til the MuscleMania European Championships
Progress pic this morning. Stepped on the scale and happy to see the weight is continuing to move... a tight exercise, diet plan, and new supplementation mix based on feedback from my sponsor 247FitBody and WBFF Pro Rob Riches are really helping me out.
I will be competing in the Ms. Bikini and Model categories at the MuscleMania European Championships in Milan, then 6 weeks later I will go to Vegas for the Fitness America Pageant.
I will be competing in the Ms. Bikini and Model categories at the MuscleMania European Championships in Milan, then 6 weeks later I will go to Vegas for the Fitness America Pageant.
The Metabolic Effect Blog
I first connected with Jill Coleman on Twitter and learned about her wonderfully intelligent blog called the Metabolic Effect (ME).Jill Coleman BS, ACSM-CPT, ME-MGT is also a contributor to ME. Jill is a triple threat in the fitness world in that she has a bachelors degree in exercise, advanced certifications from ACSM, is a masters candidate in holistic nutrition and is a professional fitness model. She is also the Director of Instructor Training for Metabolic Effect and has been instrumental in developing our training curriculum. She brings a wealth of knowledge, expertise, and credibility to the blog. She writes and appears frequently in many fitness publications. She is a contributing writer to Onfitness magazine and is currently finishing up the highly anticipated exercise book series, My Gym Trainer, with co-author LeAura Alderson. You can learn more about Jill at her website www.jillfit.com or follow her on Twitter www.twitter.com/JillFit
I highly recommend you to check out her blog http://metaboliceffect.wordpress.com/ if you want to become educated on the science of fat loss.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Common EU Language!
The European Commission has just announced an agreement whereby English will be the official language of the European Union rather than German, which was the other possibility.
As part of the negotiations, the British Government conceded that English spelling had some room for improvement and has accepted a 5- year phase-in plan that would become known as 'Euro-English'.
In the first year, 's' will replace the soft 'c'. Sertainly, this will make the sivil servants jump with joy. The hard 'c' will be dropped infavour of 'k'. This should klear up konfusion, and keyboards kan have one less letter.
There will begrowing publik enthusiasm in the sekond year when the troublesome 'ph' will be replaced with 'f'. This will make words like fotograf 20% shorter.
In the 3rd year, publik akseptanse of the new spelling kanbe expekted to reach the stage where more komplikated changes are possible.
Governments will enkourage the removal of double letters which have always ben a deterent to akurate speling.
Also, al wil agre that the horibl mes of the silent 'e' in the languag is disgrasful and it should go away. By the 4th yer people wil be reseptiv to steps such as replasing 'th' with 'z' and 'w' with'v'.
During ze fifz yer, ze unesesary 'o' kan be dropd from vords kontaining 'ou' and after ziz fifz yer, ve vil hav a reil sensibl riten styl.
Zer vil be no mor trubl or difikultis and evrivun vil find it ezi tu understand ech oza. Ze drem of a united urop vil finali kum tru.
Und efter zefifz yer, ve vil al be speking German like zey vunted in ze forst plas.
If zis mad you smil, pleas pas on to oza pepl.
As part of the negotiations, the British Government conceded that English spelling had some room for improvement and has accepted a 5- year phase-in plan that would become known as 'Euro-English'.
In the first year, 's' will replace the soft 'c'. Sertainly, this will make the sivil servants jump with joy. The hard 'c' will be dropped infavour of 'k'. This should klear up konfusion, and keyboards kan have one less letter.
There will begrowing publik enthusiasm in the sekond year when the troublesome 'ph' will be replaced with 'f'. This will make words like fotograf 20% shorter.
In the 3rd year, publik akseptanse of the new spelling kanbe expekted to reach the stage where more komplikated changes are possible.
Governments will enkourage the removal of double letters which have always ben a deterent to akurate speling.
Also, al wil agre that the horibl mes of the silent 'e' in the languag is disgrasful and it should go away. By the 4th yer people wil be reseptiv to steps such as replasing 'th' with 'z' and 'w' with'v'.
During ze fifz yer, ze unesesary 'o' kan be dropd from vords kontaining 'ou' and after ziz fifz yer, ve vil hav a reil sensibl riten styl.
Zer vil be no mor trubl or difikultis and evrivun vil find it ezi tu understand ech oza. Ze drem of a united urop vil finali kum tru.
Und efter zefifz yer, ve vil al be speking German like zey vunted in ze forst plas.
If zis mad you smil, pleas pas on to oza pepl.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Shrimp and Scallops with Eggplant
I found this recipe on on Epicurious.com and slightly modified it to meet my needs by removing oil and sugar.
- 2 scallions
- 1/2 lb large shrimp (about 12), shelled and deveined
- 1/2 lb sea scallops, tough muscles removed
- 1 (1/2-lb) Asian eggplant or small Italian eggplant, halved lengthwise and cut diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 to 2 teaspoons artificial sweetener (I used Stevia)
- 1/4 teaspoon Asian chile paste
- 3 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro leaves
- 1 tablespoon small fresh basil leaves
Preparation
Cut scallion greens into 1-inch lengths, reserving white parts for another use.
Pat shellfish dry and season with salt and pepper.
Heat a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then stir-fry eggplant with salt and pepper until golden brown on both sides and cooked through (add 1/4 cup of water gradually if eggplant is sticking to skillet). Transfer eggplant to a plate as cooked and keep warm, covered.
Add 2 tablespoons oil to skillet and sear shrimp and scallops in batches, without crowding, until just cooked through, about 4 minutes. Transfer to plate and keep warm, covered.
Add water, soy sauce, sweetener, and chile paste to skillet and simmer, stirring, until reduced by half. Stir in lime juice.
Serve shellfish and eggplant with sauce, scallion greens, cilantro, and basil.