Sunday morning, 730 AM. I hop out of bed, throw on some warm layers and greet the crisp air. Luckily, Centennial Way Trail is only a few minutes walk from my house, so soon enough I am strolling down this long strip of cement. Is is the most scenic trail? No it’s not. But all I need is an empty trail. And at 730 AM on a chilly Sunday, that’s what I get. As I walk from South San Francisco to San Bruno, the trail importunes me to walk further and further. My phone died right as I started walking (I need to buy a new one ASAP) so it was just me, the sound of my sneakers crunching on the pavement, the sound of distant cars, and the occasional birds. I gazed at the “South San Francisco: The Industrial City” etched into the hillside.
At one point I passed by a small body of water. I heard tons of frogs! rrrrr-r-r-r-ibbet!!! RIBBET! rrrrr-r-ibbet! I inched closer down the ravine but it was so steep so I just peered forward and tried to spy the froggies. I only spied a cat, sitting perfectly calm and still. I breathed in and listened to the echoes of the froggies for a minute longer, then made my way back home. I knew I should get some food in mah tummy. After about a 50 minute walk, I was back in the warmth of my house, and ready to eat my healthy breakfast. A bit later today I’m going to hit the iron a.k.a pick heavy shit up and put it down a.k.a get mah sweat on a.k.a get mah swoll on a.k.a. get one step closer to my dreams.
And now, some motivational quotes for today:
“If I had to select one quality, one personal characteristic that I regard as being most highly correlated with success, whatever the field, I would pick the trait of persistence. Determination. The will to endure to the end, to get knocked down seventy times and get up off the floor saying. “Here comes number seventy-one!” Richard M. Devos
“Victory is always possible for the person who refuses to stop fighting.” Napoleon Hill
“You don’t become enormously successful without encountering and overcoming a number of extremely challenging problems.” Mark Victor Hansen
“Fight one more round. When your arms are so tired that you can hardly lift your hands to come on guard, fight one more round. When your nose is bleeding and your eyes are black and you are so tired that you wish your opponent would crack you one on the jaw and put you to sleep, fight one more round-remembering that the man who fights one more round is never whipped.” James Corbett
I don’t know how much you were looking forward to my return to the stage this March. I certainly was!
Unfortunately, there are personal circumstances that do not permit me to do the show. I have to focus on these circumstances at the forefront before I can provide a new show date with certainty.
Although I want to keep plugging through, I know that my decision is for the best, and I will come back stronger, badder, and tougher than ever. Your support is greatly appreciated.
I want mah legs to be schtrong and shapely. Ripped would be nice. Having legs like WBFF pro and fitness model Diana Chaloux (below) would be pretty coo.
After 2 days off completely from training, I hit the gym today ready to go! It was great. Here’s how it turned out:
10 min walk/jog (6 min in my target zone of HR 140+)
walking dumbbell lunges:
25’s x 15 reps per leg
30’s x 15 reps per leg
35’s x 10 reps per leg
40’s x 10 reps per leg (woo!)
stiff leg deadlifts:
95 lbs x 15 reps
115 lbx x 15 reps
135 lbs x 12 reps
155 lb x 12 reps (woo!)
2 min cardio HR 140+ (note: can’t stand long cardio sessions, so it helps me to break it into bits)
Leg Press:
2 plates each side x 15 reps
3 plates each side x 15 reps
4 plates each side x 10 reps
4 plates each side x 8 reps
2 min cardio HR 140+
Prone Hamstring Curl:
65 lbs x 15 reps
80 lbs x 12 reps
80 lbs x 10 reps
80 lbs x 10 reps
Hack squat:
full range of motion; 4 sets of 15 reps with 25’s on each side
Seated hamstring curl:
85 lbs x 15 reps
100 lbs x 12 reps
100 lbs x 12 reps
100 lbs x 12 reps
Leg Extension (I usually do this first, but forgot til the very end, so here it is)
70 lbs x 15 reps
85 lbs x 15 reps
100 lbs x 12 reps
115 lbs x 12 reps (woo!)
then 20 min jog/incline walk with HR 140+
It took a little less than 2 hours to complete, and I felt great. I love the gym <3
I read Ava Cowan’s newest blog entry for the Gaspari website, and I loved it so much that I wanted to share it with you. Not only is Ava Cowan one of my favorite figure competitors because she is amazingly gorgeous, but she is incredibly grounded and driven. I liked the post I am going to share because she is unapologetic about being absolutely dedicated to the sport, and conveys such incredible passion and focus!
Half Way there. Ms. Figure International 2012
I have been preparing for the Ms. Figure International diligently now for 6 weeks. I am at the halfway point and it is just mind boggling how quickly the time flies. Preparing for this show has been all consuming, every single aspect of it. Everyday, all of the pieces of the puzzle must start to come together and not one piece may be left out for the picture to be complete. Especially at this point, everything in my day is meticulously thought out. All I consider is my sleep, lifting schedule and split, cardio schedule, necessary training adjustments, deep tissue massages, diet changes, supplementation protocol etc. I have a very set schedule if at all possible, it creates a bit of consistency that is soothing to me. I find that the more things I do outside of what I have listed above seems to be a distraction and leads me away from my goal. The nice thing is that week by week, I tighten the reigns. There is a certain rhythm to it all, and it is exciting when things fall into place. I have to say it is exciting even when they don’t. My weight sticks forever it seems and just won’t budge for weeks. The internal tension that creates gives me an extra edge and surge of energy. So a seemingly negative actually is a positive. Fear has always been extremely motivating for me personally….I use mental tricks all of the time. I also watch motivational videos read inspiring books and look at pictures online to help me as well. Tonight I will be sipping SuperPump Max to get me through this long night [training]. As long as I get my 9 hours of sleep before my next session tomorrow I am good.
15 reps wide grip barbell row w/65, 85, 85, 85 lbs; superset with 20 reps calf raises on the leg press w/ 90, 90, 90, 90 lbs
15 reps single arm row w/ 40, 40, 40, 40 lbs w/big stretch and contraction
15 reps narrow grip seated cable row w/big arch; superset with 20 reps of bodyweight reverse hyperextensions w/focus on lower back
A.D.D. cardio w/HR 140+: 5 min stepmill, 10 min bike, 10 min jog
I love working out, and I love working back, but today it was hard to get out of bed. I’m glad I did though, because I had a great workout and burned 758 calories (according to my heart rate monitor). Today I wore my favorite new grips that are awesome for pulling exercises- they’re called Versa Gripps and they are SO MUCH less cumbersome than traditional straps. I notice I can pull a little more weight with straps, but was put off by how much of a hassle they are to wrap around bars. Then I was introduced to Versa Gripps, and they are so much easier to use! I am still breaking them in but so far I give a favorable review!!
Nate Miyaki is a trainer that works with me at Diakadi, and he is also an accomplished natural bodybuilder Well, male physique competitor. Or fitness model. Author. Whatever you want to say. Check it.
He recently published a book called the Samurai Diet (link at bottom) and today is guest posting to share some great information on fat loss!!
5 FAT LOSS LESSONS FROM THE SAMURAI DIET
by Nate Miyaki
1. Fat loss is more about what you DON’T eat than about what you DO eat.
Through natural bodybuilding competitions and fitness photo shoots, I have had the opportunity to be around some of the fittest people in the world. And since I’m as curious as George, I tend to ask a lot of questions along the way.
What have I learned from over ten years in this industry as an athlete, educator, and coach?
There is no one, universal, single way to peel off body fat. Many different diets have worked for many different athletes. High-carb, low-carb, carb cycling, traditional bodybuilding nutrition, intermittent fasting, etc., they all can work if the program is appropriately matched to a person’s specific metabolic condition, training status, psychological tendencies, and physique goals.
Despite different calorie calculations and macronutrient ratios, however, there seems to be a commonality amongst the most effective plans. The fittest people in the world just DON’T eat certain things. At the top of that list would be modern, man-made food compounds including concentrated sources of fructose (high fructose corn syrup, sugar = one molecule of glucose plus one molecule of fructose), trans fats/hydrogenated oils (most packaged snack foods), and refined vegetable oils (corn oil, safflower oil, etc.).
If you did nothing else other than cut out concentrated sources of fructose and trans fats from your diet, you would lose weight and improve your physique. How do I know? A client of mine did just that, and lost 25lbs in preparation for her wedding.
That’s the anecdotal evidence. For the geeks (like me), here is the science:
Fructose is the primary nutrient mediator of sucrose-induced insulin resistance and glucose intolerance. (1)
Under controlled feeding conditions, long-term TFA (trans fatty acid) consumption was an independent factor in weight gain. TFAs enhanced intra-abdominal deposition of fat, even in the absence of caloric excess, and were associated with insulin resistance. (2)
2. Be Aware of Food Sensitivities
Stubborn body fat — it’s the worst isn’t it? You’ve been hitting the weights, doing your cardio, and consistently sticking to your diet, but you just aren’t as lean as you think you should be, given all of that effort. You can still pinch more than an inch.
Assuming you are in an appropriate calorie deficit and you are being consistent with your plan (two big assumptions), there can be other, less obvious reasons for your losing battle with the bulge. In my work with physique enhancement clients, one of the most common culprits is food sensitivity.
If you are allergic to a certain food, you’ll know it — huge GI distress, running to the bathroom every five minutes, etc.
But food sensitivity is a little harder to pinpoint, and often goes undiagnosed. People may not be experiencing the extreme symptoms of a chronic disease, but they may “not feel right” due to other troubling side effects. Common symptoms include: chronic fatigue, water retention, bloating, excessive gas, cortisol elevation, impaired immune system functioning, abdominal pain/cramping, and abdominal fat deposition.
If any of this sounds familiar, I would experiment with cutting three food compounds well-known to be associated with food sensitivity issues: artificial sweeteners, gluten (wheat, rye, barley), and dairy products (3). You can go one at a time, or boot camp-style on them all.
Some of my clients have been shocked by the positive results — both with their physical appearance and with their overall health and wellness.
3. Total Calories Are Still King
In the Great Macro Debate, the most important step in the fat loss process seems to have been completely lost amongst physique dieters everywhere – total calories. No miracle combination or drastic cutting of any macronutrient can circumvent the law of thermodynamics.
Did we not learn this lessen in the Low Fat era? You can cut your fat intake to zero, but if you’re eating above your total calorie limits with refined carbs, you’re going to get fat.
Today’s low-carbers are making a similar mistake. I don’t care if you haven’t touched a carb since Brigitte Nielsen was hot, if you overshoot calories by eating unlimited fat, you won’t get lean.
This brings me to something every “low-carber” needs to understand: being in a state of ketosis itself does not ensure fat loss.
Ketosis is simply an altered physiological state in the human body. When carbs are extremely low, glycogen becomes depleted. The body will then use a greater percentage of fatty acids to fuel the body and use ketones to fuel the brain. It’s merely a shift in fuel dynamics. The body is running on fat metabolism, but it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going to burn more body fat, although that’s what you might infer.
The other rules of body fat loss still apply, not just the metabolic condition your body is in. Ensuring you’re in a relative calorie deficit is still the most important step in winning the fat loss war.
In low carb, unlimited fat and protein diets, you can still enter a state of caloric excess. And even though your body has shifted to burning a greater percentage of fatty acids as fuel, it will simply obtain fatty acids and ketones from the abundance of dietary fat you’re taking in. It will not be forced to tap into internal body fat stores as a reserve fuel. That’s an extra step, and your body prefers the more efficient route.
If you’ve banished carbs to the Underworld, yet are still struggling with fat loss and are looking for answers, now you have one – controlling calories is still king.
As the great natural bodybuilder and researcher Layne Norton once wrote:
For those who have given themselves ample time to prepare, I do not suggest using a ketogenic diet. Instead, I recommend reducing carbohydrates, but keeping them high enough to possess the muscle sparing benefits of carbohydrates while still losing body fat. (4)
4. Calculated Eating vs. Instinctual Eating
There are many diet plans out right now that promise you don’t have to track calories or count macronutrient grams in order to lose fat. This is only half-truth.
I agree that for the majority of our overweight population, most just need to start making better food choices. If people cut out refined, processed, and packaged food, and started eating real foods from our evolutionary past, they would improve biomarkers of health and reach a much more natural body weight.
But there is a big difference between reaching a natural bodyweight and getting photo-shoot-ready ripped. That is an athletic endeavor that requires the discipline and detail of an athlete’s approach.
Look at the diet plans of the fittest people in the world. They know exactly what they are eating. They measure and track everything: ½ cup of this, 4oz of that, etc.
Once you develop the habit, it is not as difficult or life altering as you would think. Here are some tips:
Use measuring cups (1 cup, ½ cup, etc.) as serving spoons instead of traditional serving utensils, particularly for starch foods and added fats like nuts.
There is no need to weigh your meats, poultry, and fish on a scale. Simply buy these foods one pound (16oz) at a time and cut them up according to your dietary needs. If you are supposed to be eating 3oz servings cut into 5 pieces, 4oz servings = 4 pieces, 5-6oz servings = 3 pieces, 8oz servings = 2 pieces. It doesn’t have to be exact; we just want the right range. Food scales seem a bit excessive to me.
Pour oils, dressings, and condiments into teaspoon or tablespoon measures before cooking or topping food.
No need to measure non-starchy vegetables (broccoli, lettuce, spinach, onions, etc.) UNLESS they are cooked in butter or oil. Plain vegetables are pretty much free foods that can be eaten in unlimited amounts.
5. Look beyond just 12 weeks.
Is the average max fat loss/pre-contest/pre-photo shoot plan sustainable?
The answer for the majority is no, even for the most hardcore of athletes. Many competitors can attest to this fact firsthand: post-contest bingeing, weight rebound, and the negative hormonal feedback loop associated with extreme training/nutrition approaches and/or drug protocols.
Anyone can eat a certain way when motivation is high: for a contest, modeling gig, or even just for a new photo for your Facebook page.
But what are you going to do after that 8-12 week period? Just get fat again? I know you want to look great for that one day, but what is the preparation for that big day doing to your long-term metabolic and hormonal health? Do you want the only way you can get into shape to have to be no carbs for weeks at a time, 3 hours of cardio a day, with the personality of a snail, and the libido of a corpse? No six-pack is worth that.
Some will justify it as bulking and cutting cycles, but for many it ends up as just a classic yo-yo scenario, despite it being part of an athletic realm. That’s not sustainable. That’s not good for your long-term physique goals, let alone overall health. I’ve seen former competitors and models yo-yo themselves right into obesity, type II diabetes, and a lifetime of health and body composition struggles.
If that route sounds appealing to you — great — go for it man, to each their own.
I’m more interested in finding a plan that is sustainable for the rest of my life, and allows me to be in shape year-round. Sure, there will off-seasons and on-seasons, periods of adding mass and periods of cutting up. But it shouldn’t be extreme Biggest Loser (Gainer)-type swings. Maybe that sounds interesting to you, or maybe you think I’m just not hardcore enough. I’m cool with that either way.
But Crash Dieters Beware: in the long run, yo-yo’ing makes the body less efficient at burning fat and more efficient at storing it with each successive cycle. According to Dr. Joe Klemczewski:
The importance of small changes can be shown clearly by contrasting the negative results of yo-yo dieting. Going on and off diets repeatedly makes it more difficult to lose weight. Remember, the negative effects are short-term, and your metabolism can be corrected, but the damage (weight regain) can be done so fast that you regain more weight than you lost. One study took subjects through two cycles of weight loss and weight regain. The rate of loss was only half during the second cycle compared to the first and the rate of regain was increased by 300%. That means when you diet and then binge and then diet again, you are only 50% as effective metabolically than the first round, and when your metabolism is suppressed from the dieting, you regain weight back three times faster than if you hadn’t dieted at all. (5)
I can guarantee you this, if the above scenario sounds like something you’ve experienced, you won’t be posting any photo updates of yourself on any social media sites two years from now. There is a healthy and an unhealthy approach to physique enhancement. The choice is yours — which one would you rather pursue?
For more fat loss lessons (112 of them to be accurate) you can check out my book The Samurai Diet: The Science & Strategy of Winning the Fat Loss War available at Amazon.com. Here’s the link:
1. Thresher et al. 2000. Comparison of the effects of sucrose and fructose on insulin action and glucose tolerance. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol Oct;279(4):R1334-40.
3. Bernardo et al. 2007. Is gliadin really safe for non-coeliac individuals? Production of interleukin 15 in biopsy culture from non-coeliac individuals challenged with gliadin peptides. International Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology 56:889-890.
Today in my shoulder training day I sprinked in a tiny bit of handstands and handstand push ups. Why? I like to keep training fun and interesting, so I’m not bored just lifting weights around. Also, I’m interested in how it will work to improve my shoulder development. I used to have uber-ripped shoulders back in the day, and that was when I was doing more gymnastics/handstands/breakdancing/boxing. In the years since those activities are not my focus, my shoulders have gotten smaller. Sadly. So I’m thinking of throwing in some handstands for fun, and to challenge my shoulders! Although I am really trying to target hypertrophy in my exercise, the handstand push up has an added benefit of improving upper body control and balance! You hit a host of stabilizer muscles when balancing under the resistance of your own bodyweight.
(me doing a handstand freeze back in the day)
According to Wikipedia, the handstand push ups “increase the load on the triceps brachii muscles significantly over regular pushups, with the arms having to hold almost 100% of the body’s weight rather than an average of 60% during normal pushups. Load is also shifted from the Pectoralis major muscle to the Anterior deltoids and Lateral deltoids due to the shoulders exerting in adduction while externally rotated, rather than transverse flexion. The upper fibres of the trapezius are also involved in elevating the shoulders. In free-standing handstand pushups, the core muscles and hand muscles are both used to keep the body balanced, from falling over back, forward, or to either side, and to maintain posture. This makes it a much stronger exercise for the wrist flexors, core and legs compared to regular pushups.”
Okay, I’ll take it. Yes, I’m mixing functional training into my bodybuilding regime but I MAKE THE RULES!!!!! bwahahaha…
I wanted to share with you the success of my excellent client Christen Manak. She achieved extraordinary results in a short time due to her exemplary dedication and commitment! She wanted to get bikini ready for Hawaii. So I provided her with a program consisting of exercise, nutrition, and supplementation. She followed my program to a T! And experienced fantastic results
In the 6 weeks we worked for that bikini body she lost:
Chest under bust – 1.0 inch
Waist – 1.0 inch
Baby belly – 2.0 inch
Hips – 2.0 inch
Thigh – 1.0 inch
…and a total of 12 lbs!
Christen says: “ALL WITH FOUR KIDS AGES 5, 3, 2, and 10 months!!!! I can’t believe I’ve done this!!!! Thanks so much for your help!!!”
Here are pics of her two weeks before she started with me:
Here are pics of her after the 6 week program WOOO!!!
Hallo hallo! It’s my official “off season” and I am BUILDING! I have been eating lotsa cals, lotsa carbs, lifting heavy, and feeling STRONG! I want every figure competitor’s dream of great quads, nice glutes, capped shoulders, wide lats, narrow waist, nice calves, all that!! I am really motivated to use true STRENGTH as the foundation of my hypertrophy. I want to LIFT heavier and BE STRONGER. Yes, the most important thing is the aesthetics, but I am very interested in ACTUALLY increasing my strength, especially in my legs. It’s a fun challenge for me.
I don’t know if I would necessarily call not being on a strict diet “joyful” but I have definitely been living it up. But every day I’m back in the gym tearing it up! So this has been spectacular for my building.
Since the last show, I have experimented with different recipes. I seriously meant to create blog entries for each and every one but :::cough cough::: I’m a delinquent.
*Sorry all the pics are sideways!*
Antelope Burgers
Fiber Pizza
Faux Fried Veggies
Post Workout Ice Cream Sandwich #1
Post Workout Ice Cream Sandwich #2
As many of us figure competitors do…I’ve been dreaming/preparing for the next show(s). That’s why I’m so focused on muscle building. In the last shows, I lost a lot of muscle and my ass DISAPPEARED! So I want to make sure I have big full muscles so that even if I experience atrophy, I will still have plenty of muscle to reveal *SO* for now my focus is BUILDING, and then I plan to start dieting after Christmas for my spring/summer show season:
(tentative schedule)
NPC Governor’s Cup in Sacramento on March 24, 2012
WBFF Fitness Atlantic in Connecticut on April 21, 2012
WBFF show in California- date not yet released, probably in the summer
That’s the update for now!
Here is a quote I found on Facebook today and would like to share:
Why complicate life?
Miss somebody? Call.
Wanna meet? Invite.
Wanna be understood? Explain.
… Have questions? Ask.
Don’t like it ? Say it.
Like it ? State it.
Want something? Ask for it.
Nobody will know what’s going in your mind. Its better to express rather than to expect.
If you already have the ‘No’, take the risk of getting the ‘Yes’.
We just have one life. Keep it simple. LIVE IT & Be happy &…
I am a certified personal trainer, avid fitness enthusiast, and creator of Freestyle Fitness Addiction. Come visit frequently, as I add articles, video clips, and personal blog posts related to building strength, power, and stability in fun, outside-of-the-box ways; nutrition; inspiration; injury prevention and rehab; figure and fitness; mixed martial arts; random ruminations, and daily personal life. When not driven by my fitness addiction, some of my favorite things include being a badass with my hoodie up, sparkles, and kittens.
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Well, male physique competitor. Or fitness model. Author. Whatever you want to say. Check it.
(me doing a handstand freeze back in the day)
