Category Archives: Man Biceps
Being afraid of Bulk – It’s all grey
NO.
Then why are so many freaking women so afraid of lifting weights?
Because we aren’t logical when it comes to how we look?
Possibly. I know Ryan would probably say that most of the time my emotions more than my brain dictate how I feel I look.
But so then what keeps convincing us that we will get bulky, if that belief isn’t at all logical?
What makes women shy away from lifting heavy even when they KNOW logically that they don’t have the hormones/eat enough calories/lift enough weight to become big and bulky?
I honestly believe it may be our definition of femininity. It is this standard that irrationally makes us fear anything that might take us away from this traditional belief.
I mean really think about it….What words do you associate with feminine? Or even masculinity for that matter.
Feminine – gentle, sensitive, thin, empathetic, caring, compassionate
Masculine – strong, competitive, virility
I know these are generic, but let’s face it….They are to some great extent what most people truly believe.
We like things in black and white – female or male.
We fear the “grey areas.”
And to be a woman who lifts weights…well that area is still grey.
It’s still emotionally a struggle because it goes against things we’ve been indoctrinated with since we were very young.
I mean shoot, you say to a woman, “Wow your arms are jacked.” Or “Wow your arms are toned.” And I guarantee she will go home and stare in the mirror and wonder if she is bulky. She may even be so offended by those comments that she cries or turns to friends to tell her she isn’t bulky. (Trust me…I’ve had friends do this).
Even I’ve had moments of being illogical. I’m sure every woman has.
It is hard operating in a “grey area.”
But we can’t give in to that ILLOGICAL fear that we will become bulky.
We can’t give in to all of those freaking people who seem to keep spewing the “Women who lift heavy look like men” phrase.
Because the simple truth is we don’t.
And we never will.
Because even though we may lift like men, we don’t look like them.
(Of course there is still something wrong with the fact that lifting is defined as masculine, but that is a topic for a different day.)
Loving my Under Armour
Ok so a few weeks ago, I was contacted by an Under Armour rep. about doing a product review and giveaway.
I won’t do promotional things UNLESS I really believe in the company or brand – and I LOVE Under Armour.
I actually gained a huge respect for the brand when they started the “What’s Beautiful” competition.
So when he offered me a chance to review a product and give one away to a dedicated Man Bicep reader, I jumped right on the opportunity.
I work in a gym with tires, atlas stones, barbells, dumbbells, ropes and sleds. While we do have a cleaning crew that does a great job, the gym does have that sort of dirty outdoor feel.
It definitely isn’t a gym where I want to wear Lululemon. (Granted I only sometimes even wear my stuff from Lululemon to lift…It just doesn’t feel right to me…but that is me.)
BUT I do love wearing big comfortable t-shirts to workout in AND my Under Armour clothes.
I have a number of shirts from Under Armour, which are cute and flattering BUT NOT TIGHT (Even though I have half-naked photos on my blog, I really don’t like tight clothing.)
So anyway, I love my Under Armour stuff because it is cute but makes me feel comfortable and just seems to fit with all of the different things in the gym.
However, most of the Under Armour stuff I have is short-sleeved and while it isn’t COLD here, in a gym with no heat, you do sometimes need a sweatshirt.
And an Under Armour sweatshirt is one thing I didn’t have so I chose to review that product!
I got the purple Fleece Divide Hoody and I LOVE it!
It is warm and cute and comfortable (and I’m a fan of color so I love the brightness). I like mine loose so I got a medium and it fits perfectly! It is fitted enough without being skin-tight.
It makes me feel like I’m wearing something stylish, but at the same time it isn’t so cute or fragile feeling that I’m afraid to get it a little dirty.
It is perfect to lift in and perfect to coach in.
Some breathing squats to warm up
Deadlift warm up
(Ok so these pictures are taken from this morning workout and I look tired…I’m apparently not a morning person any more…)
The only “negative” I guess is that it is missing thumb holes, but I’m just a weirdo and like to play with those…
So who is interested in getting their own Fleece Divide Hoody!?!
Check back later today for the GIVEAWAY!
P.S. I’ve decided breathing squats are going to be awful by the end of next week. Right now the weight is light enough that 20 in a row down to a low box isn’t bad, but once I up the weight next week…UH OH!
Be your own role model
I feel like increasingly we search for motivation and inspiration outside of ourselves. We look to magazines and search Pinterest for Thinspo or Fitspo pictures to be good influences on us and get us to eat well and workout.
Stop looking for motivation and JUST DO IT!
I’ve found that the best way to stay motivated and inspired is to inspire myself.
I work to do my best day in and day out. I work to accomplish goals that push me to become a better me.
I strive to impress myself.
I want to prove to myself that I can be stronger, fitter or faster.
Each day that I work hard and each day that I accomplish something new, I become more committed and more motivated.
I BELIEVE more in myself.
That belief in myself is something that no picture or magazine or story of any other athlete can give me.
So while I do understand that pictures of our “role models” can keep us motivated when we want to walk to our fridge and eat something bad, they won’t keep you committed in the long run.
They won’t make you believe more in yourself.
When was the last time you looked at yourself and thought, “I’m a pretty freaking great role model for myself!”
Back to Basics
We’ve been discussing core values at our gym, Innovative Results, in Costa Mesa and one of the core values that has really stood out for me these last few weeks is “Back to Basics.”
There are so many FADS out there, telling you they have the “quick and easy” solution.
Of course when I see “quick and easy” associated with a diet and/or exercise program, I laugh and ignore it (unless of course I want something to rant about…).
Because there really is no quick and easy solution. Hard work is involved!
BUT if you stick to the basics, I will guarantee you will actually get the results you seek.
But what does sticking to the basics really mean?
Does it mean only traditional moves like the deadlift, squat and bench press? Or does it mean battling ropes, foam rolling and corrective exercise? Does it mean only doing 3 simple exercises for the rest of your life or is variety key?
Or is everything I listed above correct?
For me sticking to the basics means these four key things:
- Compound exercises that use muscles in an integrated fashion and work the major muscle groups.
- Moves that are functional aka training that helps us move better in day-to-day life.
- Preventing injuries by correcting imbalances and developing STRENGTH.
- Creating a PROGRESSION with well-considered variables.
So for me sticking to the basics doesn’t mean SIMPLE, it means well thought out and EFFICIENT.
It means not doing the freaking leg extension machine at the gym unless you have a really really really good reason to do it (aka don’t do single muscle group movements).
It means picking out a few KEY COMPOUND EXERCISES for the month that work YOUR BIG MUSCLE GROUPS.
It means STICKING to a ROUTINE and not just throwing in random exercises that you’ve seen in a magazine.
It means correcting problem areas THAT YOU HAVE and not just doing corrective exercises and SMR (foam rolling) on areas that you’ve been told COULD BE problem areas.
Going “Back to Basics” doesn’t have to mean being boring or only doing the same few things day after day.
Honestly, it means creating something measurable. When you just put together random exercises with random weights, repetitions and sets, you aren’t setting yourself up to measure your progress.
If you stick to the basics, you will create a program that will not only allow you to measure you progress but will also probably help you reach your goal faster!
So take a second right now to think about your current exercise program. Can you measure your progress? Are you doing compound movements and working your major muscle groups? Do you stick to a progression for at least a month? Are you correcting YOUR imbalances?
If you answered no to some of the questions above, maybe it’s time you got BACK TO THE BASICS!
P.S. Getting back to the basics most definitely also applies to diet. Just think, “WHOLE NATURAL FOODS!” This will definitely be a focus of mine after four days traveling and eating all of the goodies that St. Louis and Bloomington have to offer! 🙂
I’m not usually a wimp
So on Sunday morning, I grated off a chunk of my knuckle.
The grater went in nice and deep and the cut oozed blood all day and my knuckle swelled up.
It hurt, but what hurt more than the cut was the fact that I knew I had my battling ropes challenges starting the very next day.
How the heck was I going to grip the rope for 10 minutes and then even 20 minutes with a freaking finger that wouldn’t bend?
And on top of the fact that I now had this annoying little injury, I DIDN’T WANT TO DO THE BATTLING ROPES FOR FIVE MINUTES LET ALONE 20!
Have I mentioned before that I really really dislike any form of long cardio?
Well, I DO!
So between the fact that my finger hurt and I had to do cardio for a while, I developed a very bad attitude.
Usually, I’d consider myself fairly tough. I suck it up and do it.
But usually I also semi-enjoy the torture I’m putting myself through.
Speed work on the power ropes?
Sure no problem.
Endurance work doing battling ropes?
No thank you.
But I didn’t have a choice.
So I grumpily made my way into the gym and started pouting to Jeff and Aaron about my stupid finger.
I had the whole lip out and head down pout really going when Aaron said, “Ready?”
I wanted to say, “NOOOOOOOO!”
But instead I just nodded and picked up the ropes.
Five minutes in, I was whining to myself in my head. I was counting the seconds. It seemed like forever until I hit 1o minutes. My forearms were on fire and I couldn’t seem to get out of my mental funk.
At 10 minutes, I was done. It wasn’t AWFUl, but I was still dreading the 20 minute challenge yet to come.
It wasn’t even mental fatigue. Honestly, other than my forearms nothing even felt worked. It was all in my head.
When I went home, I kept telling myself that it wasn’t THAT bad. That 20 minutes wouldn’t be much worse.
But that didn’t change my attitude for today.
I walked into that gym as grumpy as could be.
But I started the ropes.
About a minute in, I wanted to drop the ropes. I felt tired. I didn’t want to do long cardio!
When Aaron told me I’d hit 5 minutes, I wanted to scream. AHHHHHHHH!
15 more minutes!?!
My forearms were already tired and my legs were even feeling it today.
I had such a bad attitude that I even told Aaron that I basically just wanted to stop.
He kept repeating positive thinks and I mentally told myself to SHUT UP! with the negative thoughts.
And something finally clicked.
I started cruising.
The last 10 minutes felt 100 times easier than the first 5.
And all because my attitude had changed.
I’d been such a wimp and once I finally got over the negative attitude, things got easier.
So all I can say from this experience is that working out and pushing yourself to reach new goals is about 80% mental.
Yes, your body has to be strong enough, but if your mind isn’t strong….you’ll never achieve your goals.
So tell those negative thoughts to SHUT UP and see just how much more you can accomplish.
I mean it….Don’t even let yourself say you’re tired and you may just surprise yourself with how strong you ACTUALLY are!
1 minute workout
So today I had a nice group of family and friends come in for a post-Thanksgiving day workout.
They did some power ropes and blanket shakes. Some medball throws, sled pushes and even a little VersaClimber.
The workout ran about an hour and consisted of some nice interval training to get the blood pumping.
I then did my workout right after…besides the 15 minute warm up and foam rolling, my workout lasted all of 1 minute.
That’s right…1 minute.
And I’ve never wanted to throw up/pass out/fall on the ground and never get up so badly in my life.
What did I do?
300 feet on the VersaClimber in 1 minute.
Sitting now on my couch almost three hours later, my body still doesn’t feel right. But I must say that I’m as pretty darn pleased.
While I was so nervous I wanted to puke because not only was EVERYONE watching, but I knew how bad I was going to feel when I was done, I went for it.
At the beginning I was hauling….and then about 30 seconds in, I hit THE WALL.
I ran smack-dab face first into a solid brick wall.
I could hear it in everyones’ voices…I was slowing down. They didn’t think I was going to make it.
And then one of the other trainers at IR, Eddie, said something to me, which I can’t now remember, but it fired me up.
I was not going to fail.
A primal scream tore through my mind and I kicked into that next gear.
I made it.
303.
Yea I know it says 1 minute and some seconds but the time doesn’t stop right when you get off even though the distance does. SOOOOO HA!
(Apparently everyone truly thought I wasn’t going to make it. Ryan’s dad even looked at Ryan and shook his head. I seemed down and out. But my newly learned mental toughness wouldn’t let me give up even when it seemed the odds were against me.)
They were all cheering as I fell off the machine and collapsed to the ground.
I’m pretty sure I started crying. And I have no real idea of what anyone said to me the next 20 minutes. I just know Corey (yes there is another trainer at the gym named Cori…the proper spelling…haha) came over and dragged me over to the bike to help my legs loosen up.
And I’m pretty sure I look like I’m about to throw up in all of the bootcamp photos we took (I can’t wait to see them).
But I did it.
I don’t think I’ve ever been so proud of myself.
And I also don’t think I’ve ever felt so crappy.
P.S. I have to give a HUGE shout out to my mentor Aaron Guyett. I’ve become a better trainer and person because of all you have taught me over the last two months of training. Now on to the Kettlebell competition and 20 minutes on the Battling Ropes!
What do you read?
HAHA…this isn’t at all relevant. Just funny.
So I’m not a fan of fitness magazines. They basically reuse the same old crap over and over again and just package it differently each time. (Hey sometimes they put in some “new” stuff…After it has become mainstream….For a year or so…)
BUT that doesn’t mean that I don’t like reading other fitness publications.
If you are a fan of learning and are a fan of finding the BEST way to get GREAT RESULTS, you may want to check out the blogs and videos provided by some of these innovators.
I probably go to this website at least once, ok probably twice, a day. I watch the videos to add new moves to my library (or remember moves I haven’t used in a while). I read the articles to find out what some of the great minds in the fitness field are doing.
Basically, I LOVE My Mad Methods. You may at first look through it and think, “Well I’m not a fighter or a strong man.”
BUT THAT DOESN’T MATTER! Think about the strength and mobility that both of those two professions need. Think about how functional their training is. So even though you aren’t a fighter or a strong man doesn’t mean you can’t implement some of those moves or workouts in a way that benefits you.
Plus they present a new way to do things that isn’t just the simple moves and bogus “tips” you find in fitness magazines.
I also like Nick Tumminello’s site and all of his videos. He works in more traditional fitness realms and even uses some of his incredibly innovative to help bodybuilders and fitness models. (See you don’t have to do the traditional fitness workouts to look AMAZING!)
Nothing crazy, but he does make you constantly think about movement patterns and the best, most efficient ways, to do things. He has created variations of the bird-dog, an oldie but goodie, and he as provided me with a variation of the deadlift, which I call the explosive deadlift rotation. Talk about a great way to develop explosive power while working on your deadlift, core strength and shoulder strength.
He has also provided me with two of my favorite moves – the Pivot Pulldown and the 1/2 squat, 1/2 deadlift. The Pivot Pulldown is probably my FAVORITE exercise to work the upper back and even improve lat strength (and your pull ups!). It is a great way for anyone to improve their posture!
I also love the 1/2 squat, 1/2 deadlift because it is a great way to work your legs (and even your back) with little impact on the knees. I think one of the hardest things is training people with knee injuries. THIS IS A PERFECT EXERCISE TO USE! Because the knee is just barely bending less strain is put on it! A great way to build leg strength if you have bad knees or even if you don’t! I also find it is a great way to teach beginners the RDL.
Anyway, there are more sites I could share, but those two are probably my favorites at this point in time so I’ll start you there. Not all of the information will be new, but that isn’t the point. Sometimes it is just good to read those sites because it reminds us of things we haven’t used in a while!
So now you have no excuse to not do a little research and learn something new. I know I always say that you should and now I’ve given you a couple great places to continue your learning! 🙂
What are your favorite fitness sites?
I am my mother’s daughter
So the other night while cleaning and doing some work, I had Spanglish on in the background.
For those of you who haven’t seen it, I won’t ruin the movie, but one of the last lines in the movie struck a note and got me to thinking…
“I am my mother’s daughter…”
My mom made sure I was a strong young woman who would stick up for myself and never let anything in life beat me down.
She encouraged my spunk and tenacity.
She encouraged me to be competitive and achieve.
But she also taught me that being successful doesn’t have to mean that you put others down to get ahead. Part of true success is making others even better and stronger than yourself!
It’s funny but this one little random memory really inspired me so much:
My mom and I were out on the tennis court and were going to play a set. It was probably the first time I was going to play a competitive game against my mom since I was actually potentially able to beat her.
Before we began she said to me, “If you beat me, you are walking home.” She had a huge grin on her face.
And I laughed.
And then….
I lost.
Should I have lost?
Probably not.
We always joke that she just managed to get inside my head. I sometimes think it was nerves from the idea that I could possibly beat my mom…Someone who had always beaten me!
And after that match, I don’t think I ever really did lose again. (Sorry Mom!)
Anyway, the point of this silly memory is actually that I think my mom, while competitive with no desire to lose, was PROUD of the fact that I may just finally be better than her.
She wanted me to succeed. She wanted me to live up to my full potential even if that meant I surpassed her.
She put her own ego aside and took PRIDE in my achievements.
She taught me what it meant to be a leader and a teacher.
So why am I telling you all of this?
Because I am proud to be my mother’s daughter.
I am strong and competitive and driven to achieve. But above all that, I want to encourage success in all those around me.
I’ve been told I’m a “pusher.”
I push others into doing things they’ve only talked about doing. I push others to work hard. I push others to grow and achieve WHAT THEY ARE CAPABLE OF even if they end up leaving me behind in their newfound success.
I push my clients every day to work harder, become better. I push them because they CAN do it. They are the reason for their success…I just help them see that THEY CAN DO IT!
So I want to encourage all of you women out there to be proud of your strength. To grow yourself and encourage others to do the same. Being strong ourselves isn’t enough.
Helping others grow stronger is what really matters.
I am my mother’s daughter.
Are you?
VICTORY!
So today I hit my first goal of 70 ft in 10 seconds on the VersaClimber.
VICTORY!
The added bonus is that I managed to be the first girl to do it! Now I just want to see other ladies up on that wall!
If you have a VersaClimber at your gym try to do 70 ft in 10 seconds! Do it and send me the picture of your completed sprint!!! 🙂
Now on to 300 ft in 1 minute and 20 minutes straight on the battling ropes! Then back to deadlifting human beings!
What women want….
To look like on their wedding day….
Toned arms and shoulders, a slim waistline with just enough curve into toned hips, butt and legs.
How do most women get there?
By doing chronic cardio, starving themselves, and lifting light little barbie weights only a month before their wedding.
But is this really the best way to have the arms, waist and butt of your dreams on your wedding day?
HECK NO!
If you really want to look lean and toned you can’t just do cardio and you most definitely can’t starve yourself.
You need to lift challenging weights, eat the RIGHT foods and start working toward the body you want early on.
I tell my clients (and plan to do the same myself) to plan to have reached their goal weight or body composition the week before their final fitting, which is only a month or so out from their wedding.
The last month or two should only really be maintenance.
The key throughout your workout progression toward you BIG DAY is to do compound movements. Don’t waste your time with the bicep curls, shoulder presses and tricep extensions that most programs recommend. While those can be good if you are a powerlifter looking to really isolate and strengthen weak muscles, those moves really aren’t giving you that much bang for your buck.
They don’t have a whole heck of a lot of calorie burn AND they are only working on one muscle group when you could be hitting 3 or 4 with a compound movement.
For instance….the deadlift…It works just about everything. Want a great backside? Want a toned upper back, butt and thighs?
DO DEADLIFTS!
Or any other powerlifting move for that matter. Or you can use kettlebells, resistance bands or the sled
There are a ton of different strength training things that you can do! Find some that are fun and that get you results efficiently AKA compound moves!
Also choose the compound moves that target your trouble areas.
While we can’t spot reduce areas, we can build up proper muscle tone to make our problem areas look better. Eating a healthy diet and later the added cardio we do during cutting will reveal that beautiful muscle we built up even more!
And while I LOVE lifting heavy and think that it is key to the body that you dream of having on your wedding day, cardio does become a more important part as you are trying to become more lean and toned.
That doesn’t mean you just stop lifting and start logging in tons of miles.
It means sprints, some long distance JOGS for some slow fat-burning cardio AND still an intense heavy lifting routine.
Of course once you up your intensity during the final few months before your last dress fitting, you will need to remember to take time to rest, foam roll and release some stress! Working out though can be a great way to make sure that you are still getting enough “me time” BUT that doesn’t mean you can just start living in a gym and not practice proper recovery!
10 Key Moves to Get the Body We All Want on our Wedding Day! (So many move I love, but these will give you a huge bang for your buck!)
- Deadlifts – Deadlifts are a full body move. They are perfect to tone your upper back, butt and hamstrings. Plus they are a real fat burner because they work so many big muscle groups! (I LOVE YOU DEADLIFTS AND MISS YOU!) One new explosive deadlift move I’ve started using is a rotational deadlift. I set up the bar in a t-bar row hold and put weight only on one end. So I deadlift up the end with weight and rotate toward the stand as I stand up. So if the weight is on the right as I stand up, I rotate to the left pushing the weight out and up until my arms are straight.
- Kettlebell Swings – Another great way to get a great toned hips, butt and thighs! This move may be just as good as the deadlift. It is, however, just a bit harder to master. Make sure that if you want the butt toning effects of the swing that you aren’t squatting down so much as doing a hip hinge! NOT A SQUAT! More of an RDL…but still not an RDL.
- Kettlebell Snatches – Another tough move, but a full body one. Develops explosive power, which means more muscle power! It is great to develop power in your legs, tone your core (lots of rotation and stabilization) and strengthen your shoulders.
- Pull ups – I LOVE PULL UPS or any variation of them! (You can even do a pull up and hang if you want some extra core work!) They tone your back, biceps and core! Get great arms while benefiting from the extra calorie burn of working a big muscle group like your back! (And a toned back looks pretty good in a strapless wedding dress!) Plus, if you strengthen your lats, they will help your waist look slimmer by creating more of an hour-glass figure!
- Push ups – Strengthen your chest, triceps and shoulders just to name a few muscles. Lifting heavy can sometimes just mean lifting yourself! If you want to make them even more challenging, make them explosive. As you push up, come up off the floor! They make the push ups that much harder.
- Medball Pass and Shuffle – Honestly, one of my favorite new moves. Cardio because of the shuffling back and forth. Plus it is a great move to develop lean POWERFUL muscles. Best when done with a partner. Perform a chest pass with a heavy medicine ball with a partner while shuffling down and back.
- Sled pull/push – So by pulling I mean pulling a sled toward you with a rope. Great leg, core, back and arm workout! And then if you push it back to its starting place, you get to work the entire posterior of your chain – everything from your shoulders down to your calves!
- Crawls and all variations – You can pull a chain, crawl on a power wheel, or crawl using sliders. How ever you do it, it is a great workout for your shoulders and legs. AND the more you keep you butt from going up in the air, the more you work your core. If you do use a chain, you can work your legs and butt even more. Or if you use a power wheel or sliders, you can focus more on your shoulders and core.
- Battling Ropes – A great way to get the lean ton muscles you want. Depending on which wave you make, you can focus on different muscle groups. You can work your back, your shoulders, your arms, your core and your legs. Shoot rotational waves kill your core!
- VersaClimber (or really any sprints) – These are a great way to maintain muscle and BURN TONS OF FAT!
Man Bicep 