MA/RI State Championship Best Lifter – Women’s Raw
My starting deadlift was over twice my bodyweight!
It has been a very long day today. We got up at 5 a.m. to drive to Rhode Island for my first powerlifting championship. The even ran started at 9 a.m. and wrapped up around 6 p.m.
It was one of those mentally and physically exhausting days that just make you so happy to finally be home cuddled under a warm blanket on the couch.
Tomorrow, I will write more about my experience but for now…I just want to brag because I’m really proud of myself for committing to something I wasn’t fully comfortable doing…my first powerlifting competition.
And guess what!?!
The risk paid off!
Weighing in at 118lbs, I won the 123 weight class and Best Overall Lifter for the Women’s Raw Division!
Anyway, more tomorrow!
What I found and thought this week…
First off, please wish Candy good luck!!! She has to undergo the second round of cuts for Roller Derby on Sunday! You can do it Man Bicep Sister!!!
And I thought this cartoon was funny…
Now on to some links and random thoughts!
- Calories aren’t created equal…we all knew that. BUT just how important is getting the right kind of calories? According to this article it is very important to our mental functioning and our feelings of sleepiness. I obviously agree with this article…which is why I posted it! 😉
- I thought this was a rather funny article and an interesting question…Can you be overweight and still be fit? What defines a person as fit? – “To be Fit or be Fat, That is the question.”
- Can we say YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS! There was a recent study done that supports carb cycling (and low carb diets in general)! Check it out!
- And what was that one stupid list about Paleo not being a good diet? Well this article says that a low carb, high protein diet is the most effective weight loss diet!
- Studies about diet are interesting…there are just so many contradictions and uncertainties. Look at some of the other articles on the site “Science Daily,” which I’ve linked out to a couple of times in this post. On the one hand, there are studies supporting low carb, high protein diets, but on the other hand, there are studies saying that low carb, high protein diets may be bad for your gut bacteria…So which is it? Personally, I think you just have to pick something to believe and hope that your way is right (and have enough proof to back it up!).
Why oh why?
Why is it that when you absolutely, positively can’t have bad food that you want it the most?
Seriously the cravings that I’m having this week are awful. And I can’t indulge…It’s not even that I just don’t want to…I literally can’t because I can’t gain weight before Sunday.
With all the traveling and the holidays, I’ve had to stay very focused and eat super clean to make sure that I’m definitely within my weight class for the powerlifting competition this Sunday (boy am I nervous!!!).
I also just want my body to feel good. And bad food definitely doesn’t make my body feel good.
BUT only two more days! I can do it!!!
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder
What is beautiful?
So not my definition of beauty but HEY...to each her own!
Seriously is there really one universal definition?
I DON’T THINK SO!
Working in a gym, where you constantly hear people commenting on other people’s bodies, you begin to realize that everyone really does have a different definition of what is beautiful. (Especially men and women.)
It seems that every male trainer at the gym loves women with big butts, yet most women are working out to try to firm, tone and shrink their rears.
Even women differ in their opinions of what is feminine beauty. Just think about what female movie stars you think are the MOST attractive. I guarantee not everyone agrees with you!
I mean part of the reason I was so motivated to start this blog was because women are afraid to lift weights because they don’t want to look bulky or overly muscled! Many women don’t find muscle attractive!
The numerous articles about famous actresses, singers and such with muscle who are ridiculed are proof of the fact that women (and men) don’t find muscled women attractive…like the articles about Cameron Diaz. Personally, I don’t think she is too muscled (maybe on the skinny side…but not too muscled).
Anyway, the point is no one has the exact same view of what is beautiful.
So what are we really all striving toward?
Shouldn’t we all just be seeking to make our bodies the best that they can be naturally while still being able to enjoy our life?
I mean…aren’t we women much harsher in our criticisms of our own bodies than anyone else is? We seem to obsess over every little flaw – every eyebrow hair that is out-of-place (ok maybe the eyebrow hair thing is just me…)
But what are we obsessing for?
No one is perfect. And there will also be people who find you beautiful as is or that think you need a bigger/smaller waist/butt/arm…anything.
Beauty is such a fluid thing with so many definitions…so why can’t we just be happy and content with the fact that we do everything we can while still living our lives to the fullest?!
Why can’t we all just be happy with the bodies we have and know that they are each beautiful in their own ways!?!
Is not eating until the afternoon bad?
I don’t do intermittent fasting every day, BUT I do think it is a very effective fat loss tool.
Of course, people thought I was crazy yesterday when I worked out in the afternoon without eating and didn’t eat till around dinner time.
One person even told me, “That it isn’t healthy.”
And yes, conventional wisdom tells you that you NEED to eat breakfast and not skip meals so not eating till dinner time does seem a bit crazy.
But is it?
In my opinion no, Intermittent Fasting (IF) isn’t crazy…especially if you aren’t eating a high carbohydrate diet and can be patient enough to get over the hunger pangs that occur when you first change your eating schedule.
If you are eating a high carbohydrate diet, then yes…it may seem like more of a challenge to get used to IF.
If you eat a high carb diet, you will experience more energy fluctuations throughout the day than someone on a lower carb, high fat and high protein diet. Your insulin will spike after each high carb meal, making you feel energized. Of course after the spike, your energy levels will dip, making you feel sluggish and tired.
When your energy levels dip, usually you feel hungry. This feeling of hungry caused by a high carb diet, and skipping those meals that your body feels it needs, does make doing IF more challenging and can make you feel light-headed at points.
Trust me…I’ve tried this and it wasn’t near as easy to get used to IF as it was with a high-fat, high-protein diet.
BUT if you do eat a lower carb diet that includes lots of fat and protein, you don’t have the constant energy dips and hunger pangs, which makes IF easier to do and an effective way to burn fat and gain muscle.
Just like calorie cycling and carb reloading (with potatoes and non grain carbs of course), doing IF every once in a while can keep your body guessing and stoke your metabolism.
Intermittent fasting can be challenging on either diet if you are used to eating at specific times of day. After a week or two of adjusting from your set meal times, you will feel like you have more consistent energy on IF.
Yesterday, I never felt hungry or like my energy was sagging. I got in a great workout too. All while on an empty stomach.
So tell me…how is that not healthy compared to a high carb diet with set meal times where you feel constantly hungry especially if you skip a meal?
If you need more convincing read this piece by an IF expert. Leangains wrote a great article debunking the Top Ten Fasting Myths.
Pre and Post-Workout Meals
How important is it to eat in a specific time frame before and after your workout? How important are the pre and post workout meals?
If you Google “pre and post workout meals” a bazillion different articles come up.
And most articles tell you when the best time to eat is and what ratio of carbs to protein you should consume.
What do I think about most of these pre and post workout meal articles?…
They aren’t worth paying attention to.
Are you a world-class athlete or a fitness model? Or are you just an average Joe/Jane trying to look your best, be healthy and reach personal fitness goals?
I would say most of us fall into the second category, which means that pre and post workout meals shouldn’t be our main concern. Having great nutrition overall and working out consistently should be our primary concerns.
Yes, eating the right things at the right times before and after your workout could help you, BUT they would only really make a significant difference if you are already near perfect. At least that is my opinion.
If you are trying to lose weight, I think it is more important to learn to eat when you are hungry than it is to try to force in extra calories around a workout because some article tells you that your muscles NEED the fuel at a specific time.
I know there are lots of people who would disagree with me – that think the proper pre and post-workout meals can make a huge impact on your progress…but they just aren’t correct…sorry.
Your muscles won’t disappear if you don’t drink that protein shake within an hour of working out. You really don’t NEED carbs or even food for that matter to be able to perform an intense workout. I’ve actually even found that when I perform fasted training, I get in my best workouts!
So then you may ask why there are so many articles about pre and post workout nutrition.
BECAUSE THERE IS A WHOLE INDUSTRY AROUND WORKOUT NUTRITION.
This isn’t a conspiracy theory. People want to make pre and post workout meals a big deal because it helps them sell products!
Also, for bodybuilders and fitness models and figure competitors, pre and post workout meals ARE important. And a lot of the products were original created for those people.
Of course, now the industry has a great marketing tool…if you want to look like those people, you must consume our products around your workout.
What do you think? Do you worry about your pre and post workout meals? Or are you like me and just make sure that you eat the proper things throughout the day without worrying about the exact timing?
What if Dwight Schrute was your trainer?
First off I just want to say that I think I watch too much TV.
But that fact aside…What if you joined the Dwight Schrute Gym For Muscles and Dwight Schrute was your trainer?
If you joined the Dwight Schrute Gym For Muscles (in its early stages), you would have gotten to do some workout moves that Mark Sisson would have been proud of.
You would have strengthened your legs by squatting a log with two pails of stones dangling from it.
Or you would have worked your core by whacking a large tire with a sledge-hammer.
But just like Primal/Paleo/Crossfit, the mainstream wasn’t ready for Dwight’s gym.
So he brought in the traditional equipment and tells Darryl he will help him lose some weight. Dwight tells him, “Your path from obesity starts right here.”
Like any good trainer, Dwight first shows Darryl the proper way to stretch.
Of course you must always stretch your pelvic-bowl...
Then like any great motivational trainer, Dwight yells at Darryl to encourage Darryl to continue benching.
I don’t know about you, but I don’t think I’d join the Dwight Schrute Gym For Muscles…The sad part is…there are lots of Dwight Schrute Gym For Muscles out there AND lots of under-qualified trainers like Dwight.
Be careful when selecting a gym and a trainer! You don’t want to end up training with someone like Dwight…
Welcome to the gun show! I wouldn't want him to be my trainer. He DEFINITELY doesn't have Man Biceps.
One week
So next Sunday, I will be participating in my first powerlifting competition (the outfit I’m going to be wearing will be interesting looking). AND I’m super nervous and excited!
Numerous people have asked me why I’m doing it.
My question is why not?
- I love lifting heavy weights. And I’ve been doing heavy powerlifting-style training semi consistently for the last few months.
- The competition is only an hour away.
- It will be a new experience (and potentially a very humbling one!).
- And again…I love lifting weights soo…why not?
Also, if I love it maybe I will really start seriously training and do more!
If I don’t like it…well on to the next exercise challenge!
I must admit though…if I were to do another one, I would make sure I wasn’t traveling as much the two weekends before.
And super random, but can someone please explain to me why so many people feel the need to stand and crowd around their gate at the airport while they wait to board? They create confusion as to where the line to board is and just make everything more chaotic. AND THEY DON’T GET ON THE PLANE ANY QUICKER!
Studies, Links and Whatever
Interesting stuff…or at least stuff I think is interesting!
- I just want to start this post by saying that I LOVE this biking jersey for cancer that Jen sent me! Showing off the bicep! (It is definitely a lot of pink though).
- “61.6% of American adults today are overweight, but only 39% say they think they are.” Interesting…it seems like every other day there is some new news story or article out there about how the majority of our population is overweight…yet people don’t think that they may be one of those overweight people…
- Uhm…That is all I can say about this article called “Check Children’s Cholesterol Levels.” This article upset me for so many reasons. Really medicate children that are only 10 years old!?!
- Working out in only a sports bra? Unless it is summer and I’m outside…I DON’T THINK SO! Why do women do it? Our gym is freaking cold! (No offense if you are a woman who does this…I just don’t get it.)
- I Googled “Weight lifting” in Google News and was really really excited to see an article called “Why women should do weight training” among the first links on the page! Now all we need is for the NY Times to write a nice little piece about it…
- I love gum. I don’t chew it everyday, but when I get the chance I chew a ton so when I saw this article I couldn’t help but smile. I hope it’s true that there are cognitive benefits to chewing gum!
- This guy looks pretty darn good even though I don’t totally agree with Dr. Life’s diet plan.
- I love macadamia nuts. Why are they so addicting?
- And last but not least…why can’t airports have better food options? haha
Like a kid in a candy store
Ryan and I feel like kids in a candy store when we go to Whole Foods.
Yep that's exactly how I look when I find something new!
We are always super excited to visit the meat counter and try any new grass-fed, free range meat that they have. We’ve gotten Oxtail, organ meet, pork butt, pork belly and so many other delicious grass-fed, naturally raised meats!
After hitting the meat counter, we sauntered down every aisle scanning for any new grass-fed, full fat, non-processed products that we could add to our diet.
We’ve found grass-fed butters, coconut butter (YUM!), full-fat kefir, pasture-raised organic heavy cream, pasture-raised eggs AND NOW…100% grass-fed whole milk yogurt!
The 100% grass-fed milk that we got is a product of Traders Point Creamery and it is absolutely delicious (not to mention like a bazillion times better for us than 99.9% of the milk that you find at the grocery store)!
Why is it soooooo much better you may ask?
BECAUSE it is 100% grass-fed, which means that it has 5 times…I repeat 5 times….more CLA than grain-fed milk.
And what is CLA?
CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) is a healthy fat that lowers cholesterol and lessens your risk for heart disease. It may also have anti-cancer properties and be helpful for weight management.
And where is CLA mainly found?
In meat and dairy products!!! And as Americangrassfedbeef.com states:
The CLA Bonus The meat and milk from grass-fed ruminants are the richest known source of another type of good fat called “conjugated linoleic acid” or CLA. When ruminants are raised on fresh pasture alone, their milk and meat contain as much as five times more CLA than products from animals fed conventional diets.12
CLA may be one of our most potent defenses against cancer.
In laboratory animals, a very small percentage of CLA — a mere 0.1 percent of total calories —greatly reduced tumor growth.13 Researcher Tilak Dhiman from Utah State University estimates that you may be able to lower your risk of cancer simply by eating the following grass-fed products each day: one glass of whole milk, one ounce of cheese, and one serving of meat. You would have to eat five times that amount of grain-fed meat and dairy products to get the same level of protection.There is new evidence suggesting that CLA does reduce cancer risk in humans.
In a Finnish study, women who had the highest levels of CLA in their diet, had a 60 percent lower risk of breast cancer than those with the lowest levels of CLA. Switching from grain-fed to grass-fed meat and dairy products places women in this lowest risk category.14(Here are the studies the site cited.
12. Dhiman, T. R., G. R. Anand, et al. (1999). “Conjugated linoleic acid content of milk from cows fed different diets.” J Dairy Sci 82(10): 2146-56. Interestingly, when the pasture was machine-harvested and then fed to the animals as hay, the cows produced far less CLA than when they were grazing on that pasture, even though the hay was made from the very same grass. The fat that the animals use to produce CLA is oxidized during the wilting, drying process. For maximum CLA, animals need to be grazing living pasture.
13. Ip, C, J.A. Scimeca, et al. (1994) “Conjugated linoleic acid. A powerful anti-carcinogen from animal fat sources.” p. 1053. Cancer 74(3 suppl):1050-4.
14. Aro, A., S. Mannisto, I. Salminen, M. L. Ovaskainen, V. Kataja, and M. Uusitupa. “Inverse Association between Dietary and Serum Conjugated Linoleic Acid and Risk of Breast Cancer in Postmenopausal Women.” Nutr Cancer 38, no. 2 (2000): 151-7. )
If you want to find out more about CLA and how wonderful it is for you, check out this list of studies!
Uhm so yea…I guess I was a bit excited about our Whole Foods shop yesterday!
Man Bicep 