Barbells and Beakers

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APA Raw Nationals Results – 2014

In April I competed in the APA Raw Nationals in Defuniak Springs, Florida for my first major event. It was my first meet where I had more than 2 other women, though none in my weight class. Due to the morning of weigh ins (we got to Florida at about midnight) I weighed into the 165# class, which was fine by me. I knew I wouldn’t set any national records, but I did set 4 state records for Mississippi. I also won my class, which was a really cool feeling. I ended with a 297 squat, a 325 deadlift and a 136 bench press.

APA Raw Nationals 2014 165# 1st Place

Pretty awesome medal, if I do say so myself!

May 1, 2014 Powerlifting, Read more >

Fasted Cardio: Myth or Fact?

Fasted cardio is one of the hottest topics amongst dieters, especially those who compete in body building. The idea of doing cardio on an empty stomach first thing in the morning makes sense to some people – with no immediate source of energy, won’t your body burn stored fat for energy? There’s compelling evidence for and against fasted cardio, so I thought I’d break down the main points of various studies for both sides and let you chose.

FOR FASTED CARDIO

One study that is often cited (Bonen, A. et al. (2008). Effect of training in the fasted state on metabolic responses during exercise with carbohydrate intake. Journal of Applied Physiology. Apr;104(40):1045-55) showed that training fasted actually increased your muscle glycogen stores, making it a great adjunct to endurance athlete’s training. The idea is that increasing the body’s ability to store glycogen will allow athletes to compete at higher intensity long term.

Another study looked at supplementing your fasted cardio with caffeine and yohimbe and found that this increased catecholamines in the body, which helped to break down fat stores more readily. So fasted cardio, at least in the short term, increases the bodys’ ability to burn fat.

But, that’s pretty much where the science ends. The idea of fasted cardio – that your body would used its reserves instead of readily available food – was greater than the research. Now powerhouses such as Dr. Layne Norton and pretty much all of science have decided the cons far outweigh the pros.

AGAINST FASTED CARDIO

A lot of data for this comes from a study done through The Strength and Conditioning Journal (Volume 33). They found that the thermogenic effect of exercise (that is, your long term calorie burn) is HIGHER if you’ve eaten before exercise. They also found that training fasted decreased your overall energy output, so if you felt sluggish you didn’t put as much effort into a training session as someone who ate before.

What is more alarming than this is the catabolic effect fasted cardio can gave. Muscle catabolism is exactly what everyone wants to avoid – why train fasted if you could possibly lose muscle in the process? Proteolysis (the break down of protein) is higher in fast training and nitrogen losses more than doubled in this state.

So what’s the take home message with these studies? Know your goals. If you’re trying to maintain muscle and lose fat then eating something before doing your cardio (oatmeal, BCAAs, egg whites, pop tarts, etc.) can help you from losing muscle and keep your energy high. If you’re an endurance athlete then fasted cardio can contribute to your glycogen stores. With this information you can make appropriate decisions based on your own goals and levels of fitness.

February 9, 2014 Exercise, Fat Loss, Myths, Science, , , , Read more >

Sunday Leg Day

I don’t know what the weather is like where you’re at, but it’s about to get REALLY cold down here in the South. Having just come from spending the holidays in Arizona (where the average temperature was in the mid 70’s) I was sad to find that I landed in a freezing Memphis with 32 degrees, and promises of snow on Sunday.

Yeck.

So before the weather got TOO crazy I suited up and headed to the gym for my Sunday Leg Day routine. Even as I change my workouts for my goals one thing has always stayed the same: Sunday is for legs.

As such, I wore my leg day shirt!

Since I am a busy vet student I don’t often have days to myself. I spend my weekdays at school from 6/7 am – 5/6 pm. In the morning I’m pressed for time (unless I want to wake up at 3am) and at night I don’t want to spend hours rushing through sets so I can get home and eat before 10pm. Saturdays are filled with patient care, discharging patients, grocery shopping, catching up on things I’ve missed during the week, and other such busy endeavors. But Sundays? Sundays are empty in the gym due to church and football and without much going on (usually) I can spend all the time I want resting during squats, adding a fun new move, walking on the treadmill with an incline, etc. Really, Sundays are for worship (or something) and there’s no greater worship than doing something you love.

Today’s workout included…

January 5, 2014 Exercises, Me, , Read more >

Is Social Media Destroying Fitness?

This may seem like a funny topic for a fitness blog to cover.

See, without social media I would have never turned down the fitness avenue that I did. Without the influence of Tumblr I never would have known about powerlifting or figure competitions or any of the sports I compete in. I would probably still be that girl that eats 1200 calories a day and tries to run 5 miles through horrible shin splints.

But with great power comes great responsibility. For every social media maven out there that’s changed someone’s life for the better there are 15 that spout absolute bullshit that is harmful and problematic. Think of Tracy Anderson telling women not to lift more than 3 pounds, or the constant recycling of fitness myths that have long since been busted (like eating every 2 hours to “rev your metabolism”) or the shaming of non-able bodied people. Think of fitspo images, which are just poorly disguised thinspo images, with their endless white thin women highly sexualized with horrible slogans over them.

Really, though, is social media destroying fitness?

Social media has helped the average Joe with a great body become internet famous and suddenly a guru. Instagram accounts become collections of fitspo and Twitter rehashes the same 180 word catch phrase every morning.

Social media has also helped bring people together. Future fitness competitors find their coaches, a newbie can have their squat video critiqued by those who know more, and you’re suddenly a click away from your fitness idol.

By the same stroke you have anonymous Internet “experts” telling you that squatting below parallel will destroy your knees and that benching with an arch is cheating. IFBB pros update their accounts with videos of them performing exercises with horrible form or talking about their dangerously low calorie diet like it’s absolutely normal.

Social media is a blessing and a curse and, I think, needs to take responsibility for its actions. If someone on social media is doing something harmful (like stealing pictures off Instagram and Pinteresting them tied to their weight loss site) they should be called out for it. Social media sites should remove things with harmful content – like diet plans with 900 calories or people without any nutritional background selling diet or exercise plans. While it may be common sense for some to not take advice from a fit 18 year old it’s not that way for young, impressionable men and women looking to lose weight and fast. As a fitness community we should be charged with wanting to keep the name clean and doing no harm. Support, encouragement, blocking those who make harmful comments on pictures, and taking an active role in the content we share.

Fitness has changed our lives for the better – why wouldn’t we want the same for everyone else?

January 4, 2014 Body Positive, Myths, Read more >

What is Creatine?

I remember the first time someone told me to take creatine to improve my performance. Like most newbies to fitness I had absolutely no idea what it was or why I’d use it, or even if I should use it. I placed it on the same level as a fat burner or some other useless supplement parroted by people wanting to make money.  In reality, creatine is one of the most effective performance enhancing nutritional supplements out there.

How does it work?

During stress your body releases phosphocreatine to aid in cellular function. Creatine is integral in storing phosphocreatine. This is why it’s cited as increasing strength, but why it’s also important for brain, bones, muscle and liver. Creatine essentially puts more gas in the tank to allow you to perform at higher levels.

Is it safe?

Creatine has undergone a plethora of tests that have confirmed its safety. Most people recommend 2g-5g a day taken with 8oz of water. When taken without water GI upset has been a side effect. If you’ve taken too much diarrhea is a common side effect. It’s important to maintain a good hydration status (drink plenty of water!) while taking creatine. Some people have reported an increase in water retention up to 5 pounds, but this is a highly individualized response.

Who should take it?

Anyone looking to increase their performance may benefit from creatine. Creatine is found naturally in food (like meats, eggs and dairy) and also naturally produced in the body, so in no way is it a “foreign” supplement.

Do not confuse creatine with creatinine, which is the breakdown product of creatine in muscle.

November 10, 2013 Nutrition, Science Read more >