Dropping ALLLL the Fat!

It's been quite a while since I've blogged.

Since May of last year, I've dropped a ridiculous amount of fat, and put on a ton of muscle. A few notable things have happened.

I am completely injury free!

I still dabble ;)

Remember that debilitating back injury? Well, it got MUCH worse since I stopped blogging. So bad that I had to quit my desk job, but thankfully I got approved to work as a personal trainer on Fort Drum, so I switched gears and took on clients full time. Yes, walking around and spotting/loading weight hurt LESS than sitting or standing in one spot. Go figure! I now know what they mean by "sitting is the new smoking."

My training is much different. 

I've pretty much scrapped low volume, powerlifting-based training altogether. Not to say I don't do the movements, but maximal strength training (1RM) is not the focus of my training anymore. I am doing much more hypertrophy training. Just the fact that I am injury free has allowed me to recover a lot of the muscle that I had lost during my hiatus.

My diet has been so-so.

Now here, I suffer! This is the leanest I've been at 21.6% body fat. My body is fighting me every step of the way, although I'd argue that it had always done that. I'm very goal-driven, so maintenance has been a struggle. I'm always either gaining or losing.

From ~170lbs / ~40% bf to ~148lbs / 22% bf

I'm MUCH more athletic!

Over the course of these last 6 months of solid training, I have started doing things I could never do before. Olympic liftig, pull-ups, box jumps, pistol squats, I even RUN sometimes. GASP! How weird!!


I can honestly say that my main motivation has, and always will be, my clients. I want to walk the walk, to show them that all this hard and terrible fitness stuff can be done by the average person. I want to show them that someone who works, goes to school, and who has limited time for themselves can still MAKE the time to meal prep, log meals, train, do cardio, and get into the best shape of their lives. I want them to be inspired and push hard, knowing that they can do it too!

So what's next?

This is a terrible question for me to answer. I hate that I'm always looking beyond and can never settle. In some ways, it drives me to be better, and in others, it makes me stack wayyy too much on my plate (literally and figuratively, hehe), which causes a lot of STRESS. I see my 24 hours as slots that need to be filled, scheduling as many clients, jobs, and appointments as possible, racing from one thing to another and doing TOO MUCH. I need to learn to chill and enjoy where I am at. That's definitely something to work on.

                                  

Until next time!

Mel

Diet Break Review

Hi everyone (ok, probably like one person),

After the close of the transformation challenge, I took a scheduled diet break. Before I get into the details, I just want to briefly go over what exactly it is I'm talking about.

A diet break, simply put, means purposely applying the breaks on eating at a deficit, bumping your calories back up to maintenance, and allowing your body and mind to get back to neutral.

I don't want to get into too much detail, but Lyle Mcdonald does a great job at summing it up in a way that's easily digestible here.

In the first two weeks, ate roughly 2000-2400 calories a day, but I also bumped up my exercise intensity to make up for a lot of it. I use a Microsoft Band to track calories burned, and according to its readings, I burned about twice as many calories as a training session in a deficit. I also kept up my cardio, but dropped it to only 150 calories a day, rather than the 250 I had been doing.

Naturally, with an increase of food volume, you are carrying more food weight in your gut, AND you are burning more calories through TEF. Not sure how these balance out without doing some ridiculous and unnecessary math, but basically, unless you are binging or not counting your calories at all, the fat weight you can gain in a few weeks' time is negligible.

My two week break became a three week break, as I had to visit family in LA for some personal reasons. If you know me, you already know what these are and I'd rather not get into it here. During that week, I did not do any training, and didn't count a single calorie. I spent that time with family, and in fairness was pretty distracted and to be frank, could not give a flying fart about my diet/training.

Now that I've been back for a week, I've been battling jet-lag, not training at all, but my weight between post-vaca until now has dropped 3 lbs, only 1 lb away from my all-time low during my 12 week cut. No training, no cardio. I'm willing to bet that again, most of this is reduced food volume/water weight, but it's still a good place to be when starting my dieting phase again.

I've been consistently weighing in around 157 point something, which allows me about 4-5 weeks of dieting before the Memorial Day celebrations start rolling around. My lower back is almost 100% better thanks to Dr. Kang's wizardry, so hopefully I'll be able to get under a barbell soon enough. For now, I'm going to continue following my current macros, and try to get my butt back into the gym.

Thank you for reading!

Until next time,
Mel

Bodybuilding Transformation Challenge Weeks 6-8 of 12

These last three weeks I was really hoping I'd see a bigger change than I have. I've stayed at pretty much the same body weight, with maybe some minor physique changes. This would be fine during a normal cut, but I have to put my head back into the game and drive it a little bit harder if I'm going to be in the running against people who are loads better at dieting and are starting off with a better foundation in bodybuilding (as well as those with great genetics, but I won't worry about things not under my control).

Progress shot at 7 weeks.

The hardest thing for me to have done and to have overcome in these last several weeks was simply to diet moderately. I've always crash dieted consecutively, almost religiously for a very long time, and it has always helped me get to where I've needed or wanted to be. To me it's almost a reflex. To lose weight, stop eating anything other than protein and green veggies. Sure, it's fantastic if you don't care about strength or having any energy to function, but it's unsustainable and the weight will always come back on once you go back to eating normally. High protein and low everything else is not normal and will not be sustainable long term, but moderate dieting is sustainable for life. It's a skill I never thought I'd get good at, but I'm very proud to say that if anything, these last two months have shown me that I'm able to be truly flexible with my diet, while still getting to my goals, however slowly that may be.

I came from the mindset that everything must be counted in order to "fit" your macros properly. I used to weigh the 2g onion in my salad, the splash of almond milk, even my damn hot sauce if I knew it had even a single carb. What ended up happening was I stopped eating salads and started eating pre-packaged, sodium loaded, unhealthy foods. Why? Because it's a damn pain in the ass to chop a salad and weigh the ingredients individually, find the right ingredients in MFP, put in the right equation to get the exact amount of what you put in it when you're starving and busy. And if someone took a bite of my food? I would panic. Legitimately PANIC. Where did the macros go? How many was that? What should I eat to make it up? DAMMIT I spent 45 minutes perfecting my meal with those exact macros and someone had the nerve to taste it???

Yep, that neurotic.

Protein bread, olive oil mayo, deli meats, & lite salami.

15F / 21C / 45P ~ 400 kcal

Never again. If I don't want to eat the remainder of my food, I get rid of it or save it for later. If I eat it later, I approximate the macros. If I want a bite of something, I'll have it. Sometimes I'll leave 100 calories of cushion for these little mishaps, sometimes I won't. But you know what I will never do? I will never break into an anxious sweat over someone tasting my food or wanting me to taste theirs. I will never sacrifice my healthy, delicious salads for bland, unhealthy frozen meals due to laziness. I will never succumb to uncontrollable binge-eating driven by stress levels over food. What I will do is chill out, weigh my meals during meal prep once a week, and improvise along the way. If I'm feeling stressed or anxious, being a neurotic counter won't help.

Overall, the mental gains these two months have been totally worth it. I haven't binged, or even thought about binging for a long, long time. And I have flexible dieting to thank for that. Flexible meaning, my diet can be whatever the hell I need it to be, in order to live a healthy and fulfilling life without stressing over something as trivial as food.

We have four more weeks in this transformation challenge, time to get things in gear.

Until next time,
Mel

Bodybuilding Transformation Challenge Week 5 of 12

After blogging last week, I thought to myself, "there really can't be much more I can say about this cut, it's just going to be business as usual." Well boy, was I wrong.

I feel like I'm learning something new about myself, and re-learning so many things about dieting that I had forgotten because I simply hadn't committed to one [seriously] for long enough in the last few years.

I decided to give myself a bigger push and drop my calories from around 1700 closer to 1500 in order to keep up with my 2 lbs loss a week. I nearly hit that number with a low weigh-in of 159.2, but what's even better is that I didn't gain any weight after my cheat meal on Friday night. I decided that I'd roll over my cheat meal into a re-feed on Saturday since I didn't go over-board with my cumulative fat intake on Friday.

Overall, what I discovered this week was that simply removing foods or giving myself less of a portion to eat wasn't going to cut it. Instead, I opted to swap out some foods and replace them with other, more filling versions. Instead of having a banana and/or an apple, I eat more berries. Instead of oats or rice, I have vegetables. Instead of whey protein, I eat egg whites or chicken. The goal here is to keep my volume of food the same, but to eat less calorically dense foods in order to curb hunger.

Bye-bye, flour tortillas!

I'm pretty confident that 1500 calories will provide a big enough deficit, to where I will lose weight consistently, for at least the next few weeks as we close out the second month of this challenge. Instead of cutting any more calories, I will just increase my cardio as needed.

For this week, my new mini-goals will be to continue lifting 4x a week, and to add a 10 minute session to the end of each workout that consists of HIIT. Since I'm not changing my macros this week, my menu will stay the same, which makes grocery shopping, as well as choosing my meals much more easy and straightforward.

Until next time!
Mel

Bodybuilding Transformation Challenge Week 4 of 12

We're one month in, which means it's time for some progress pictures!

Everyone looks better in some good lingerie.

I've lost about 8 lbs so far, which averages out to 2 lbs a week, with a low weigh-in of 160.9. If I can keep up this rate of weight loss over these next 8 weeks, I'd be ecstatic!

I'm really glad that I decided to do this cut the "healthy" way. At this point, I have absolutely no cravings for "bad" food, and I wouldn't be able to consume very much anyway. The hubby & I went out to dinner for our cheat meal last night, and we didn't even order any sodas because we know it makes us both really bloated and lethargic. Our cheats are more for spending time with each other, not cooking and measuring our food, but still being relatively mindful of what goes in our mouths. I've learned that cheat meals will always set me back unless I'm able to be reasonable with my approach. It's not about the food anymore, it's about the time I get to spend relaxing with my hubbs.

This next week is going to be business as usual, I'll continue to prep my meals for the week in advance. I'm going to drop my calories by a smidge, and increase my cardio a bit as well. We'll see if we can get into the 150's by the end of this week!

Until next time,
Mel

Bodybuilding Transformation Challenge Weeks 2&3 of 12

These last two weeks have been pretty telling about how things will be going during this cut. I've been a lot better about hitting my macros, meal prepping, and getting into the gym. I've gotten over my cold, and since then it's been much easier to manage my energy throughout the days and weeks. I know that as long as my breakfasts and lunches are prepared for the day, I'm golden.

My workouts have been a little more sketch. My back pain comes and goes, so I have my good days and bad days. I don't want to assume that I know what aggravates it, but I do know that my pain was almost gone until I did a 40 minute morning cardio session, which was just some light treadmill action. I've been trying to go to the gym in the mornings rather than in the evenings when it's super busy. This way I get my workout done while my husband is doing his morning workout, so in the evening I can still spend time watching Netflix with him and Bernard.

Netflix and cuddlin' with my two main bears.

Overall I'm pretty happy with the way these last couple of weeks have gone, mostly because I've gotten into the groove of dieting, and I've been able to stick to my macros without having any cravings. Don't get me wrong-- I get hungry during the day, especially at work, but keeping snacks on hand and eating healthy, whole foods usually helps. I've opted to have fruits, vegetables, oatmeal, and rice as my main sources of carbs so that I can get some volume out of my meals, which helps a lot. I also have a lot of variety with different protein sources for every meal, that way I don't ever get bored of what I'm eating. But honestly, when you're hungry, you will eat just about anything and it will probably taste good.

As for my weight, I did hit a new low of 161.4, which isn't much in terms of a weight drop, but I've been hitting lower morning weights on average. Getting under 162 has been nearly impossible for a better part of this last year, so that was pretty exciting to see. I've been getting in anywhere from 1500-1800 calories a day which is a pretty decent amount of food considering I sit at a desk for most of the day, and work out for maybe an hour at most a couple of days out of the week.

Bernard wants to get swole.

This upcoming week, my goals will be to hit my macros on the nose & to hit each body part once this week, bringing my total weight training sessions up to four. I'll also be doing post-workout cardio to fill out my hour at the gym. Bodybuilding workouts haven't been taking me very long!

Until next time!
Mel

Bodybuilding Transformation Challenge Week 1 of 12

All right guys,

We're officially finishing up the first week of dieting for bodybuilding.com's transformation challenge. I convinced the hubby to diet with me, so we're in this together! I'm super excited to have a partner in this challenge.

This week started off with a long flight back to Upstate NY from Los Angeles, and then I jumped right into a new job here in town, so my schedule was completely knocked upside down. Not only did I severely under-eat, but I also had zero energy for the gym because of the major jet lag and exhaustion.

I *tried* to get in most of my protein, but my coach has me on 165g, which is way over what I'm used to getting. I think I hit roughly 140g on my best day, and a poverty 80-100g protein/sub 1k kcals most other days. I basically turned into a bitchy sloth-zombie. I realized that if I'm going to function at work and not completely K.O. right when I get home, I need to get in more calories and more food. I still don't think I've hit over 1,500 kcals in a single 24 hour period so far this week, and I paid for it by getting this nasty cold. It's like every time I diet the whole universe plots against me succeeding. Just kidding, I know I suck at it and I just need to work on eating the RIGHT amount, and stop being such an extreme dieter.

I didn't really weigh myself in the beginning of this cut because I didn't have access to a scale, but I gave myself a generous starting weight of 170 lbs. My lowest weigh-in this week was roughly 162 lbs which is where I've been holding steady for several months now. My lowest weight of 2015 after my cut was around 157 lbs.

My goal for this upcoming week is to get over this cold (as if I have much control over this one), meal prep a little better so I'm not starving at work, and get to the gym or do home workouts at least three times. Hopefully this helps me get back into the swing of things so I'm not just losing all my muscle during this cut.

Until next time!
Mel

It's Time to Commit to a Diet

All right guys, this post has been a long time coming.

We all feel it right around this time. The colder months roll around bringing with them holiday celebrations, and all we want to do is cuddle at home with our doggies and some netflix, munching on holiday snacks between parties. Wait, is that just me? If the statistics about holiday weight gain are true, then probably not.

If you're anything like me, you bond over food. It reminds you of home, or of when you went out with that one special person whether it's a spouse or an old friend, and it's something you just default to whenever you set up a night out with your buddies.

But being in this industry, I've spent way too long making excuses for why I'm not dropping body fat. One of the main reasons was that I was afraid to lose my strength. This was a big fear for me because less calories means less energy for lifts, which means less gains. I don't have that excuse anymore.

Earlier this year, I had an elective cosmetic surgery (fancy way of saying I got new boobies), and in doing that I knew that I'd have to take at least 8 weeks off so everything could heal before beginning training again. When I got back to training, I had lost about 50 lbs off my squat and deadlift, and about half of that off my bench press. This was to be expected, so I didn't really sweat it. I had already started dieting to get some of the post-surgery weight off, and I felt really good.

Week 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, & 7 of dieting post-surgery.

Flash forward to a few months later, and my right implant had calcified. It was very uncomfortable and looked terrible. I developed capsular contraction of the right breast and needed to get a capsulotomy. This second surgery would remove the calcification, and result in another 8 week layoff from lifting. This really bummed me out, because it was an unexpected, unwanted surgery that eventually resulted in another 50 lbs off my squat and deadlift, and another 20-25lbs off my bench press. This means I lost 250 lbs off my total, which was almost 30% of my total!

Now that I'm already weak, I really have no excuse for not just dieting down and getting to a reasonable leanness. I've already put on a pretty good amount of muscle, and I really am curious as to what I'd look like under all of this fluff.

My chubbiest in 2006 at 172lbs,
140-145lbs in 2013,
built some mass at 160-162lbs

Long story short, it's time to cut the shit and get lean. Who's with me?

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays

- Mel

The Importance of Good Coaching

Everyone likes to think that they know best. We live in a society that breeds narcissism. The modern selfie has become an ego's necessity; 100 likes later, your sense of self returns to homeostasis, but make sure you post another one within 48 hours, or else you'll go hypo-selfiemic.

Hey, it's me! 

I've dubbed this the #melfie. 

I like to think it's clever; it's probably not.

This makes it hard to admit that you need some proper guidance. After all, you've been making progress, right? You've gotten stronger, more muscular, leaner, and you're able to do things that you weren't able to do a year ago. But now that you've flown past the newbie stage of lifting, you find that your progress has stalled, you're spinning your wheels, and the gains don't come as easily. How can you face instagram knowing full well that you have nothing new to show the interwebs?

Not to worry, that's what a coach is for. And I'm officially announcing that I've taken the plunge.

I've been pretty apprehensive about hiring someone to do my training and nutrition program. I've had very lackadaisical coaching in the past, and with the amount of free information out there, I didn't feel that it was necessary to pay someone to tell me what I *think* I already I know.

The more I researched, the more I realized how little I actually do know. And the more I realized that the progress I'm making can increase exponentially with proper guidance and a good eye along with a caring heart.

The trend that most intrigued me in my research for a coach, is that most coaches have coaches. To me, this means that even though these individuals know their field well, they still find comfort in having another set of eyes watching them and not allowing them to slack off. If a coach truly believes in the value of coaching, then it only makes sense that they lead by example.

I'll be posting update videos for my coach on YouTube with some general stats every week. It should turn out to be a fun little mini-series transformation. The goal is to lose roughly 18 lbs in 18 weeks while maintaining or increasing strength. My current competition stats:

@148lbs

Squat: 242

Bench: 126

Deadlift: 336

Total: 705

There is a USAPL meet that I will consider doing in February of 2015. I'm confident that I can add 45lbs to my total by then, I just need to fix my form. I'm training to go deeper with every squat, and I'm working on paused reps with my bench press. And since USAPL has different rules for benching than I'm accustomed to, I will have to switch from benching on my toes to benching flat-footed. Goodbye, arch gains! Yikes!

>> Subscribe to my YouTube channel here! <<

Until next time.

Powerlifting & Figure Competitions!

Since the Camp Pendleton Open, I had decided to focus my efforts with my diet and training toward bodybuilding so I can get down to a weight that will help me be stronger pound for pound, as well as give me the opportunity to step on stage as a figure competitor some time in late 2014 or early 2015.

But as always, once you're bit by the iron bug, it's hard to shake it, so I am now officially 9 days out from my third powerlifting meet. This time we're back at Metroflex in Long Beach, where I started my journey.

I felt a bit obligated to do this meet so that I could have a sense of closure from this year's training. I didn't even break 600@148 at my first meet, so it would be nice to close off the year by breaking 700@148, which is a decent amount to have added to my lifts in these past 9 months. My main goal is going to be to hit all of my lifts. Nothing fancy, just going in, getting the experience, and enjoying myself. I'm not planning to compete in powerlifting for a very long time after this meet.

One thing I've been trying to do leading up to this meet, is to really hammer in bench technique. My bench press is my weakest lift, so it's been really important to get in and just press over and over until I found my groove.

It's been really tough, but what I found to help was to use my leverages to my advantage, try to get a deep arch, and set my grip wide so that I have a shorter range of motion. This way I'm moving the weight a shorter distance, for less time under the bar, which will help put weight on the bar.

As always, I'll post an update after the meet with the numbers I put up, and hopefully I'll have some videos to go along with it.

Until next time.

8 Dieting Must Haves

This past weekend was my first time attending the Natural Products Expo West which is one of the biggest natural food expos in the country. I've attended a few other expos, but this one has to be at the top of my list in terms of variety of booths, quality of booths, and overall experience.

During the two days I spent at this HUGE event, I discovered quite a few treats that I am excited to add into my diet. Some of them were foods that I've been wanting to try for a while that I hadn't been able to, and others were items I had never even heard of before that I am excited to have learned about. Some of these products are so awesome that I absolutely had to share them with you guys, so I decided to compile a few of my favorite dieting must haves that I'd wish someone had told me about sooner.

8. GoPicnic ready-to-eat meals

This meal package is a great idea for those of us who are occasionally too busy to pack our lunches. The nutrition profile is really good with plenty of protein and fiber, and it's loaded with snacks! There's no need to refrigerate this, so you can just throw it in your car for an emergency meal.

7. bai5 Antioxidant Infusions

I love this product because it has the rich, full bodied flavor of your favorite fruity beverage, but with only 5 calories per serving, so you don't need to worry about going over your calorie budget for the day while you're sipping on this. I tried a few of their flavors and all of them were delicious. Definitely a must have for when you are craving a sweet drink.

6. Ziggy Marley's Coco'Mon Cold-Pressed Coconut Oil

This is a genius twist on traditional good-for-you coconut oil. I've tried this with steaks, with chicken, and with my veggies and it tastes good all around. The curry flavor is not overpowering, but more of a background note. If you like to stick to the basics, they carry the original classic version of coconut oil, but if you're feeling adventurous, I'd recommend that you try one of these flavored oils out and see how you like them. Their other flavors include orange almond and lemon ginger.

5. Frank's RedHot - Wings

Hot sauce should be a part of every persons diet routine. It adds lots of flavor for very little-to-no calories. Frank's RedHot has been one of my favorites for years, and once I discovered their buffalo wings flavor, I was absolutely hooked. I mainly use this on chicken breast to make me feel like I'm digging into some greasy wings instead, but you can definitely get creative with this flavor and use it as the base for a sauce, since it's very sweet and thick. I've slathered this on a salad and eaten it that way, too. Spicy dressing for no calories? I don't see why not.

4. Arctic Zero

Now you can have an entire pint of ice-cream guilt free for only around 150 calories. And not only that, but each pint also includes 16 grams of protein and 8 grams of fiber. Score!! It's made from whey, so it is the perfect post-workout treat. This stuff is definitely satisfying! Be on the lookout for some of their newest flavors like sea salt caramel, coconut, and orange cream, perfect for a sherbet lover. 

3. P28 High Protein Bread

Finally, bread with decent macros. This bread is really tasty, and has a higher protein content due to containing whey in its formulation, much like if you were to add protein powder to your pancake batter. It's a bit higher in calories at 130 per (giant) slice, but definitely worth it if you're a carb-a-holic. This brand also has tons of other protein-infused products as well, including flavored peanut butter (yum!). Definitely worth checking out!

2. Quest Protein Bars

This has been a staple in my every day diet for the past several months now. They taste great, have over 20 grams of protein per bar, and nearly just as much fiber. Their new cookies & cream flavor has got to be my favorite, with cookie dough coming in a very close second. Nuke in the microwave for 12 seconds (it's science) for an ooey gooey irresistible treat.

1. ProYo Ice Cream

Last but not least, we have ProYo high protein frozen yogurt. This stuff is delicious, and it's perfect for you to grab out of the freezer, let it thaw for a few minutes, and slurp! Tastes great and has a really enjoyable texture. It's a perfect treat for a hot summer day. 

Definitely do yourself a favor and try some of these products out. Be sure comment below with your favorite diet go-to treats!

Until next time.

Bryce Lewis, Barbell Brigade, & Training Updates!

The meet at Camp Pendleton is officially one month away!

Yesterday the team and I went to a powerlifting seminar at Barbell Brigade hosted by elite powerlifter Bryce Lewis. We got a chance to learn quite a few things about form and mobility, and Bryce gave everyone a chance to ask questions and get his help on their form. This was pretty awesome because most of the guys who attended didn't have much training under their belts, which made all the information that much more invaluable. I know if I had that kind of coaching, I would have been a lot better off at my first meet.

Seminar selfies

One of the important things I learned from the seminar was about bracing instead of arching during a lift. It's something that Dean (pictured, far left) had been telling me to practice, but until I saw Bryce show us the exaggerated version, I couldn't grasp what exactly my body looked like and how I was setting up improperly on my squat. My lower back is arched at the beginning of my squat, which is terrible for my spine and results in lower back soreness that tremendously affects my other lifts. Here is a good article on the subject that sums up what it is, and how to fix it.

Aside from minor tweaks in form and programming, I also need to dial in my diet over the next few weeks so I'll have less water to lose during peak week. I've noticed that a more controlled diet helps with my training as well as my mental well being during these weeks leading up to the meet. My OCD and anxiety goes through the roof without having a really strict game plan. I've even made charts and calendars, it's pretty ridiculous. My nutrition is structured so that I'm in a slight caloric deficit while carb cycling, which will help me shed weight while maintaining my performance during training days.

The plan is all laid out, all that's left is to execute it. Until next time!

Aesthetics vs. Strength: Battle of the Gawds

Ah, the never ending debate between bodybuilders and powerlifters.

Bodybuilders train for aesthetics. They want to look good, so their programs consist of mainly hypertrophy training with lots of repetitions at relatively low weight. Once they attain some mass, they diet down to lose excess fat so they can show off the muscles they've worked so hard for. During the dieting process, it's not out of the ordinary to lose strength or to stall on lifts because the body cannot support as much of a load at a caloric deficit for an extended period of time.

Powerlifters train for strength. Their programs consist of heavier weight for less reps, and in order to fuel their workouts, they eat. Powerlifters just care about having enough energy to push as much weight as possible, which often means loading up on carbs for fuel. It's not uncommon that they put on plenty of fat mass along with muscle mass, especially at the competitive super heavy level.


So which is better? Training for aesthetics?

Always make your bed before selfies, shredu.

Training for strength?

Strongman. Photo Credit: http://crossfitfringe.com

Powerlifter. Photo Credit: http://www.howtofightdojo.com/

There will always be arguments and debates between the two sides. Bodybuilders claim that powerlifters don't have the discipline to diet down, and powerlifters claim that bodybuilders are weak, and that it's pointless to be shredded when you can't deadlift three times your bodyweight.

But why not have both? I think the tides are turning, and that more people are becoming aware that both are important if you want to be a well rounded athlete. You definitely don't need to give up one for the other. Olympic lifters are a classic example of both strength and aesthetics, combined into a functional athlete who is also not too bad to look at.

Ivan Stoitsov

Dmitry Klokov

Not bad at all.

So let's put these debates to rest and become the strongest, most shredded versions of ourselves. Jacked and shredded. Don't limit yourself. If you're a powerlifter, enter a bodybuilding competition. If you're a bodybuilder, participate in a powerlifting meet. You'll be a well rounded athlete at best, and a more humble athlete at worst.

Squat Progress

This past Sunday marked the end of the first half of my Madcow 5x5 training cycle. I've been making good progress on my lifts, and the squats on Sunday felt really easy so I went for a PR with a bit of coaxing from the team. Here are some videos:

180x5

210x3

A bit dark, but here's my PR vid -- 235x2

Aiming for a 700 lb total at Pendleton in January.

5 Ways to Avoid the Holiday Buldge

They say the average American gains about ten pounds through the course of the holidays leading up through the New Year. Here are five go-to tactics that will help you keep your waist-line in check.

5. Get an early start on your New Years' resolution --
Face it, we both know your resolution will be to lose the weight you put on after the holidays, so get your gym membership early this year, and save some money by cashing in on year-end gym deals. Get in there for 20 minutes three times a week for some HIIT cardio to offset the extra holiday calories.

4. Don't go for the second serving --
Two servings more likely than not means twice the calories, so do yourself a favor and just say no to the second go-around. The holidays is a time to enjoy yourself, so savor the first plate, then spend the rest of the evening socializing rather than grazing.

3. Organize your plate --
Remember portion control. Separate your plate into quarters to ensure that you aren't going overboard with starches, and are instead giving yourself room for plenty of protein and veggies. Have a few bites of pie instead of an entire slice.

Salmon, tabbouleh, multi-gran quinoa, and brown rice. Yummm.

2. Mind your liquid calories --
The holidays might make us reach for that extra glass of wine or egg nog, but be mindful that these calories add up quickly. Switch out your sodas for water, or have your wine in place of dessert instead of in addition to it. And remember, the less you eat, the easier it will be to get a buzz. Win-win!

1. Dance!
Dancing burns a lot of calories, and you have a good time doing it, so instead of sitting out on the fun, join in and move your body to burn those calories. You'd be surprised how quickly you'd get out of breath when you're having fun moving your body. The sillier, the better!

The Holidays are about having fun and being around those you love, so divert your attention to the things that truly matter this holiday season instead of focusing on your meals. Your mind and body will thank you for it.

10 Gym Characters

If you've been to the gym, it's likely that you've run into a few people who fit into these categories.

10. Cardio Bunny

This is the girl who's always on the treadmill, usually fast-walking

 on an incline with what looks like the thinnest layer of skin 

covering delicate bones. 

9. The Meathead

This guy walks around the gym with his chest puffed up, 

fists clenched, admiring his physique in the mirror. 

Often can be found flexing mid set. 

*bicep kiss*

8. Selfie Queen

Usually can be found in the group fitness room

 with an exercise ball and a gal pal giggling

 and taking photos for Instagram or Facebook. 

Don't forget the #fitness tag!

7. Wheel Spinner

Comes to the gym year after year, 

but looks the same as the day he signed up.

6. Goal Switcher

Nobody really knows why this guy is here.

5. One-Upper

You gained 10 lbs of muscle during your last bulking cycle? 

You could have done better, bro, 

he did the Insanity workout, put on 15 lbs of muscle

 while dropping 10 lbs of fat in one month!

Photo unrelated to gym character listed above. Hehe.

4. Fit Couple

They come in together, he does curls, 

she watches and half-heartedly 

mimics his movements. 

So cute.

3. The Sleezeball

Hits on every girl at the gym. 

2. Gym Gabber

Talks to everyone. 

Middle of a set? It's okay! 

The gym will always be here, but will he be here to entertain you? 

Only for the next half hour, so enjoy.

1. The Flake

That friend who always sets up gym dates, but never shows up.

And of course we can't forget The Geezer, The Fitness Guru, Ms. America, The Grunter, Quarter-Squatter, The Bro, Van Damme, and The Distraction.

I'd tell you not to be "that guy," but you probably already are. It's okay, you have a special place in my heart at the gym <3