Tomorrow I start the "Kiss Bodybuilding Workouts Goodbye" program by Wetwolf Training for 3 weeks. This is an interesting program with a days focusing on "Strength," "hypertrophy," and one more for "Fat loss/endurance." Tomorrow is the "Strength" day and it will look like this:

1 a) chin-ups

reps: 5

sets: 5

rest 60seconds

   b) front squats

reps: 5

sets: 5

rest: 60seconds

2 a) standing dumbbell shoulder press

reps: 5

sets: 5

rest: 60 seconds

   b) single leg dumbbell deadlift

reps: 5

sets: 5

rest: 60seconds

3 ab wheel

reps: 5

sets: 5

rest: 60seconds

Tomorrow will be my first time doing free bar front squats. It still seems really funny that I've avoided squatting in the squat rack for so long. I've loved doing the free bar Zercher squats and am really looking forward to this :)

As competitors, we can be at a huge risk for running ourselves into the ground and/or could take potentially damaging advice. Here are some incredible articles with some great points. The author is blunt and to the point, delivering quite a few "wake up  calls:"

"The Watch Dog Report: Industry Trainers"

http://figureathlete.tmuscle.com/article/features/the_watch_dog_report_industry_trainers&cr=

"7 Truth's That'll Set you Free"

http://figureathlete.tmuscle.com/article/figure_competition/seven_truths_thatll_set_you_free&cr=

"More Alarming Truths"

http://figureathlete.tmuscle.com/article/features/more_alarming_truths_revealed&cr=

You have the right to be careful in choosing who you trust with your health and wellbeing, which is what you are doing when choosing a coach. You can say no if you are unsure and you can question and research methods suggested to you before you begin them. This is your body, and it's the only one you have. Be careful with it.

I haven't been as diligent with tracking blogs lately. It's just been so nice to relax and catch up with everyone:) Having a lot of family out in the country makes for a lot of out of the city visits, which always helps to recharge the batteries. 

I'm feeling awesome. Workouts are great and this is the final run through of the recent program.

It's also really nice to get outside and do some workouts. It helps you feel less "cooped in" than working out in a gym can feel sometimes when it's so nice out there. It's really amazing how much more energy you can have outdoors. Try running hills, running outdoor stairs, hiking, set up some outdoor circuits, walking in a park if you're in the city. Another awesome place to train is an outdoor track. Anything to get out in the sunshine. Being at different locations keeps things more interesting, as well.

With a couple of more shows coming, there are a lot of people in full prep mode. There are quite a few competitors coming from London, Ontario, and it's really cool to watch and hear about some of the transformations. On June 5th is the UFE Showdown and June 19th in the OPA Provincials, both at Centennial Hall! The best of luck to everyone in their final bit of prep.

I hope you're having a great week!

Here is a really cool quote by an unknown author I came across this week:

"Why compare yourself to others? There is no one in the world who can do a better job of being you than you."

Sometimes coaches or personal trainers may feel they need to have an answer immediately for clients, that they have to "know it all." No one knows it all and there is no shame in admitting when you don't know. This gives a huge opportunity to learn and grow as a trainer or coach and it shows the clients that you really care.

If you feel there is someone that you cannot help, for whatever reason, that's okay. If possible, direct them to someone who may be able to help them. Do not feel you need to take on every potential client that comes your way. Not everyone is suitable to work together and everyone has limitations (both clients and coaches/trainers). 

Take care of yourself. If you are going to be a role model, be a good one. Practice what you preach. No one is perfect but do realize your clients look up to you, or should be able to. You will be so much more effective in helping others when you take care of yourself.

It's week two of the recent program and I'm getting a lot better at some of the movements eg: single leg squats, Zercher squats, dips and the v-up presses. It's so much fun to try so many different things out and every workout feels fresh and exciting. Recovery between workouts has actually been really amazing and everything is staying so much leaner than previous off seasons. I won't be weighing or measuring until the next week or so. It feels better to let my body become balanced again, get used to the off season meal plan and then see about checking numbers. I do know I'm still able to wear the same clothes as going into the show, they are just filled out a bit better. This feels awesome considering I wouldn't even think about looking at them very shortly after the previous season. 

My attitude and moods feel so much better, concentration has improved amazingly and I really don't remember the last time I felt so good. It may sound a bit out there, but each day it seems there is more and more energy there, but at the same time everything feels more relaxed and at ease. It's a hard feeling to explain.

Even though I feel great, I will be getting my hormone levels checked to make sure things are on track. This is so important for anyone and really important to keep track of when deciding to include competing in your life. This will be interesting to track off season as well as when prep begins next time, just to see how and when things change.

If we can stay balanced and feel great in the offseason while maintaining a relatively lean physique, the transition to the next show will be so much less taxing on the body and mind.

My prep coach, Stephanie Worsfold, has done such a great job of balancing life and competing. She's done this for years, maintaining a lot of different obligations at once and it's very admirable. These are things I really hope to continue improving upon while preparing for shows, and by further learning how to maintain a nice balance all year round. Increased obligations will come, and one day, perhaps I'll even have a family. Balance will become even more important, then. Also, for anyone assisting others in healthy and balanced lifestyle goals, they should lead by example.

There's always so much to learn and experience. It's never ending and very exciting :)

I'm off to bed, have a great night! 

For the first time yesterday I actually squatted using the squat rack! I don't know why, but I have always just had this really weird fear of getting in there and squatting, for some reason. Dead lifts in there? Yes. Squats anywhere else with barbells, dumbbells or lumberjack squats? Yes. Skip the squat rack and go the more supported route by using the Smith Machine?......Yes. Suggest the squat rack for squats to others? Yes. This started to really not make too much sense to me and since this program called for "Zercher squats," it seemed like the best time to get in there and see what would happen. Guess what.....nothing crazy happened, I didn't topple over and die or anything! It was pretty fun though, and now I'm wondering why it was avoided for so long to begin with.

It's easy to feel intimidated by things in the gym, don't be. Don't be afraid to ask for help and give new things a try. It feels really awesome to get over those fears of trying and to see there really was nothing to be scared of to begin with. Then you'll have the opportunity to watch yourself get better and better at those, once out of the question, movements, and perhaps see improvements in stength and in the development of your physique. 

 I'm actually really excited for the next day I have to get in there :)

How do we stay on track mentally, emotionally, physically to work toward our goals? We choose to. We choose to believe in our goals and ourselves, to cut through the excuses, the doubts about whatever it may be and just do it. We can self sabotage, creating circumstances that make it impossible to achieve our goals, or we can just cut through all of that, making our goal not only something we might be able to get to, but something that we surely will.
Sure, if enough excuses are created, if we self-sabotage enough times, we may be able to fool ourselves into thinking the goal was waaay too much to begin with. Why do that? Why not choose to just see past all of that and moment-by-moment, choice-by-choice just take ourselves to it? We are so much more capable than we allow ourselves to be. We deserve to not only believe in our capabilities but to witness them firsthand through our own goal driven choices.

Renee Primeau

This weekend is the Spartan Nutrition Shape up For Summer Sale at both locations in London Ontario (733 Richmond Street near Oxford and 841 Wellington Road at Southdale). There will be great deals on everything in the store and samples from various supplement company reps all weekend long at both locations. I'll be at the 841 Wellintgton Road location from 12-4PM tomorrow (Sunday May 15th) sampling some awesome Fit Foods Deliciousness as well as giving out gifts with Fit Foods purchases and free samples. Come in and say hi!

Day 4 of the current training program was a rest day, day 5 was lower body and day 6 was upper body. Here is what Day 5 looked like:

Dynamic Warm-up

1. A)Barbell step-up

       3 sets, 8 reps per leg

    B) Plate loaded hip pop-up

       3 sets, 8 reps per leg

    C) Single leg squat

        3 sets, 8 reps per leg

Rest 120 seconds, return to A

Then move to:

2. A) 45 degree hyper extension

        sets 2, reps 8

    B) Band pull-through

        sets 2, reps 16

Rest 120 seconds, return to A.

Day 6: upper body

All sets are completed for each exercise before moving onto the next.

1) 60 degree incline dumbbell press

    7 sets, 4-6 reps

    Rest 60 seconds

2) Chin-ups

    7 sets, 4 reps

    Rest 60 seconds

3) Dips

    7 sets, 4 reps

    Rest 60 seconds

4) Reverse grip barbell curl

    7 sets, 4 reps

    60 seconds rest 

Each day was followed up with choice Chek Zone exercises and thorough stretching. I love this program! 

Today is rest day and tomorrow is posing practice with a client, Lynsey Noseworthy, who is competing in the UFE London show June 5th. This is her first show and she is doing great : )

I hope you're having a great day!

Along with dropping the coffee and occasional sweeteners, there have been some changes to the meal plan. For carbohydrates, starches have been temporarily switched out and replaced with berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries). This was advised to be easier on digestion while increasing anti-oxidant intake, helping repair digestive function. Post show I experience a lot of lower abdominal bloating. I'm not sure if digestion becomes and bit impaired and needs to be given time to repair before starches are increased, or if there's something else going on. Using just the fruit as a carbohydrate source was meant to be an experiment for a day and it turns out I feel awesome, so it's being continued for now. The bloating is not there at all and it's been less than a week.

Everyone is different, I am most functional on meal plans high in protein, fat and lower carbohydrates (in relation to activity level). Carbohydrate sources, when consumed in high amounts in relation to the protein/fat taken in can leave crashes shortly after being eaten and need to be "balanced out" with the other macronutrients in the meal; protein and perhaps fat, to prevent this from happening. They are also timed to be taken in when needed the most, in the morning and post workout. The remaining meals are either a heavy meat (lean ground beef, lean cuts of beef or dark chicken meat) with vegetables, or a lighter source of protein (egg whites, chicken breast, turkey breast, lean ground chicken or turkey) cooked in coconut oil and also paired with a serving of fat (15-20g). Meals are spaced 2-3 hours apart and every meal besides post workout contains 1 or 2 cups of veggies. The most common sources of veggies are: cucumber, snow peas, spinach, asparagus, celery,cauliflower. Digestive discomfort in relation to vegetables could be caused by sources that leave you more acidic: peppers, broccoli, brussel sprouts, tomatoes. Trying other sources may make a difference.

A whey isolate is kept solely for post workout.

Not having rebound issues at this point, feeling improvements in digestion while also feeling more and more energetic is such a great feeling :) Since teen years,I haven't really had the nicest skin tone and it's wierd how much smoother and clear it's becoming with these changes, as well. It feels like things are definitely going the right way:) This off season is going to be awesome.

Have a great day!