Barbells and Beakers

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Competition Tans

Last night I started the tanning process for my competition. A lot of people wait until the day before their show and get a professional to spray them, which is a great idea for your first show. Just make sure these people know what they’re doing because it can end really, really poorly.

My first show was almost a year ago exactly and I used the tanning salon recommended by the show. The problem? This was the first body building show in Northern Mississippi EVER so none of the tanning salons were equipped with the know-how on competition tans. They didn’t know how dark to make girls, nor did they have the correct technique. My tan ended up very splotchy and ended with me calling my coach crying because I looked like I had leopard spots. I ended up having to go back in to get it fixed, which is way too much stress the night before your first show. I ended up being almost the lightest girl on stage and I was docked for it.

My second show I worked with a coach that recommended doing the tan yourself. She gave great hand outs that my previous one didn’t have (exfoliate with non-oil based exfoliants, shave EVERYTHING, no soaps/deodorant, etc) and it made the process a lot easier. Not only that, it was WAY cheaper. Paying someone cost $100, but I’ve seen the real professionals (Liquid Spray Tanz, etc.) cost upwards of $150-$300. They do a great job and take out the guess work (and do touch ups on show day) but most of us don’t have that cash lying around.

My coach recommends a step-wise tanning fashion where you slowly apply your tan over a few days. Not only that, but I paid $80 for 2 shows worth of Pro Tan and 5 shows worth of Jana Tan. WAY cheaper than the spray job, and for my second show I was one of the darker girls on stage.

Do what works for you. If you’re getting your tan sprayed, make sure these people have done it before. It’s so stressful to be there the night before a show and have a shitty tan or not be dark enough. You WILL get marked down if you’re not dark enough.

As for spraying your face – I’d say it’s 50/50. I personally do it because I’m so pale and putting on foundation that dark makes me look horrible. I don’t do the same number of coats, just enough to get my face within a shade or 3 of my body. Others don’t at all.

As for bed tanning – also at your own discretion. Competitions tans are basically body paint, you can get as dark as you want if you just keep layering it up. One of my coaches refuses to tan, the other is a tan-a-holic, so even in the industry there’s variety. Go with what makes you comfortable.

August 13, 2014 Figure Prep, , , Read more >

HIIT Sprints and Tuna Cakes

One of my favorite ways to do cardio is in the form of HIIT or sprints. I absolutely hate cardio. Running gives me shin splints and visible bruising within minutes, the elliptical is boring, and I just dislike it. If I can pump out a quick 30 minute or so workout and burn the same – if not more – calories than steady state I’m so happy.

Of course, this rule doesn’t apply to days when I’m catching up on my favorite TV shows. I love the stairmaster on intervals and some True Blood or The Last Ship. Recently I’ve started watching X-Files from the beginning and it’s been heaven sent.

ANYWAY.

After today’s back/leg day workout I wanted to really up the ante. Since I have a break from school for 2 weeks (so I can write my senior paper and senior presentation) I’ve been getting SLEEP! It’s heaven sent because I was averaging like 4-5 hours a night, then going back to school for patient care/rounds, then crashing in bed for a few hours, then doing a half-assed gym session…ah. I was tired, hangry and over it. Once I got onto a more normal sleeping schedule my workouts became a joy again. Sure, during this carb depleted state I can’t rep out 275# deadlifts like a pro anymore but I can do 155# for 15 reps. I feel a need to make up for my week of sleep deprivation by killing it during my post workout cardio.

Today, I did some sprints on the treadmill.

Set your incline HIGH – I’m talking 10% or so. Do a 3 minute walking warm up with dynamic stretches. Now, set the treadmill for SPRINT SPEED. This is highly individualized, my sprint speed is like 6 mph haha. Do 15 seconds on/15 seconds off. That is, run for 15 seconds, jump off for 15 seconds, jump on for 15, etc. Do as many rounds as you can – mine usually adds up to 15 or so minutes. Cool down with a speed walking pace on incline.

Most importantly? DO NOT HOLD ONTO THE HANDLES. I could write a novel on why this is bad for you (oh wait, I did!) If it’s too hard, back down! Lower the incline, lower the speed. No one gives a hoot how high your treadmill is jacked up or how fast you’re running. You know your body best, don’t cheat yourself to “show off.”

Anyway, I love that little kick me in the booty workout. It gets my heart rate UP!

When I came home I was craving something new – which, if you’re a figure competitor a week out from a show, you know doesn’t exist. Your diet is strict to the point of eating the same thing every day. I really don’t mind this one bit because I’m a creature of habit. The less guess work the better for me. But I wanted to dress up a classic, so I made TUNA CAKES!

Tuna Cakes!

Tuna Cakes

  • Beat 1 large egg until the yolk is broken
  • Add 1 can of tuna – about 4oz total
  • Season with your favorite seasonings – onion powder, garlic powder, Miss Dash, whatevs
  • Add spinach if you’re feeling creative!
  • Cook in a non-stick pan over low-medium heat until you can easily flip it

I added dijon to mine (aka the Holy Grail of Figure Prep) because to me dijon + tuna is the best combo ever. Depending on your ingredients your macros will change, but mine ended up as 187 calories, 1 g of carbs, 6g of fat and 28g of protein. I also added some broccoli with some Miss Dash steamed. In the mug is Chamomile tea, which I’ve been drinking like a mad woman before bed. I was raised by a tea-loving mother and it’s definitely carried onto my adulthood. Not pictured is the casein and peanut butter medley I had for “dessert.”

I’m going to end this post with a gratuitous picture of my back, because I’m really, really happy with the progress it’s made. I blame deadlifts!

Pepe Le Pew boxers are anabolic, that's a fact

August 7, 2014 Exercises, Recipes, Read more >

A Case Against Breakfast

Let me preface this article by saying “If you’re hungry, you should eat.” Plenty of people wake up ravenous, enjoy breakfast, and go on with their day. Others wake up without an appetite and report that when they do eat breakfast, they feel like crap all morning, or they’re hungry twenty minutes later. Without delving into the “What are you eating? How much? Etc” argument, I’d like to present this little piece of science for those of you who want it. If you find breakfast a chore here’s some ammo to shoot at the pro-breakfast crowd always trying to get in your face. If you’re not hungry, you’re not hungry: end of story. Every body is different.

Let’s start with hormones and waking. Cortisol (click the link to read about it) is a huge part of your sensation to wake up. It gradually rises through the night, and reaches its peak when you open your eyes. Your cortisol is highest in the morning and may continue to rise after you wake up, until about 30-45 minutes later. That’s breakfast time. Here’s the deal with cortisol – it antagonizes insulin. Insulin helps pull the sugar from your bloodstream after a meal and put it into your cells to refuel them. Because of this, you end up with a higher blood sugar than you would normally.

The issue is that with a blunted insulin response your cells aren’t getting the energy they need. Simply put, insulin gives the energy directly to the cells, and cortisol gets in the way of them doing that. If your cells are yearning for energy they’re going to send hunger signals to your brain to encourage you to eat and feed your cells. This is the case with people with chronically elevated cortisol levels as well who have trouble maintaining a normal appetite.

What about the fit person?

A fit person will have increased insulin sensitivity, especially as they lean out. They tend to be very responsive to an increase in blood sugar and quick and efficiently pump out insulin to compensate. These people then see their blood glucose drop faster, and tend to get hungrier faster. This is exacerbated in the fasted morning states with a high cortisol. You have an extremely active pancreas pumping out insulin and being countered by cortisol, so you’re pumping out more. This can mean a dramatic decrease in blood glucose. Not so much as to cause hypoglycemia, per se, but enough for your hunger signals to fire up just a short time later.

But why does this not affect ALL people – why are some people breakfast lovers and others aren’t? The level of cortisol in your blood is highly dependent on a lot of factors. Some people simply do not have a high enough level of cortisol to counteract any of the breakfast-induced blood sugar problems. Others, such as diabetics, have a need for a regular blood sugar management. Every individual is different, which is why I say again – if you’re hungry, eat!

Lastly, let’s look at a very specific study targeted at the traditional “If you skip breakfast you’ll gain weight” hoopla. This study was a 16 week controlled study in overweight and obese adults, one group ate breakfast, the other didn’t. Between both groups the average weight loss was 1.18 kgs vs. 1.17 kgs. Essentially, the results showed little difference in weight loss between breakfast eaters and non-breakfast eaters.

So, as I said earlier – eat if you’re hungry, don’t eat if you’re not. If you find breakfast is detrimental to your state of mind (no one likes being ravenous at 9am!) then skip it. It’s your individual choice.

August 6, 2014 Fat Loss, Myths, Nutrition, Science, , , , Read more >

The Mind Muscle Connection

“I never ‘feel’ squats in my legs, my back always hurts the next day!”

“I don’t understand triceps push downs, they always hurt my shoulders.”

These are common complaints I hear from people working out. You can replace any exercise and any body system and hear this with almost any move, especially as the weights get heavier. There are a lot of factors contributing to this problem.

1)   Proper Form

First of all, an exercise should never “hurt.” Proper form is essential to a healthy, happy life in the gym. Sacrificing form to move heavier weights often leads to injuries. If you’re performing an exercise for the first time it’s imperative that you research the movement. Start out with almost no weight and attempt the movement multiple times. Once proper form is established, you may have fixed your initial problem and prevented further injury.

Instagram user “Squattingunicorn” demonstrates a full depth squat

2)   The Mind Muscle Connection

This is really the crux of this article. A lot of people go through the motions of a movement without really thinking about the movement as it applies to their training. Are you growing bigger biceps? Are you strengthening your glutes? Is this a carry over exercise to improve your sticking point on the bench? Why are you doing this move?

Once you identify the purpose of your exercise you need to focus on that intention. This is why we use cues like “squeeze on up” and “drive through your heels.” There are areas that should be focused on during a move to make it more effective and powerful.

Tumblr user iron-inside displays the powerlifting method of bench pressing

Next time you’re doing an exercise ask yourself these questions.

“What is the purpose of this exercise? What am I hoping to gain from this?”

“Which muscle(s) am/are I utilizing?”

“At the start of the move, what am I feeling?”

“As I progress through the move, what am I feeling?”

“At the end of the move, what am I feeling?”

These will help you narrow down what you should be focusing on. If you find that certain parts of the movement accentuate your goals, focus on those. Lower your weights and focus on that part of the move. Squeeze, hold, pulse, do whatever you feel will focus this move.

I’ll give you a great example.

I’ve been trying to build my lats for the better part of 6 months. I read that lat pull downs were the best way to do this. I loaded up the machine and repped out 12-15 reps of lat pull downs as heavy as I could. I rarely felt sore (which isn’t necessarily a sign of “doing work” as some would like to think) in my lats, and instead I’d feel it in my shoulders. My lats did not grow, but my shoulders were fatigued and painful. I was flirting with injury.

One day I saw a video of an IFBB pro doing lat pull downs. Not only was she sitting differently, but her elbows were pointed a different way than mine, her head was tilted differently, and her weight was much, much less than mine. But her lats were HUGE! I watched her slowly bring the bar down, hold for half a second, and then slowly raise the bar back up.

Oh. It hit me – I had been going about this whole move the wrong way. By sacrificing form for weight I’d been performing the movement inappropriately and was missing out on all the benefits that came with the movement. Once I lowered the weight and slowed down my movements to really focus on the individual aspects of the move my lats grew the way I wanted. My shoulder pain disappeared, as did some other aches and pains from the poor form.

The mind-muscle connection is an often overlooked part of anyone’s training plan. Identify your goals and focus on your moves and you’ll get more out of your workout.

June 6, 2014 Exercise, , , Read more >

That 300# Squat!

I’ve started training for figure (my first show is August 16th in Tupelo, Mississippi for this year) but that’s no excuse to neglect my heavy lifts. After all, they’re why I look the way I do. I’ve always been amazed at the aversion to heavy weights among competitors looking to gain muscle. Genetics have a huge play on if you gain adequate muscle mass or not but progressive overload is a great way to combat that. For example, I’ve always had a noodle upper body and I’ve held my weight in my legs my whole life. They used to be the bane of my existence. I’ve learned to love them for what they DO for me, rather than how they LOOK. Anyway, I finally powered out that 300 pound squat I’ve been chasing for awhile. I was hesitant to try it at APA Raw Nats, just because you never know, but I’m confident in the ease of this lift. 300+ next meet, for sure!

300 Pound Squat!

June 1, 2014 Powerlifting, , Read more >