THEY LOOK HOW YOU WANT TO LOOK

It’s a very simple concept that could not be truer.  How best to obtain a physique you want, then taking advice from someone who already has it?  There are all different body types in the world, which needs to be understood – it should not be a goal to obtain a physique that is a completely different body type.  But, when someone has achieved a certain level of fitness, muscle conditioning and athleticism, it really is a thing of beauty along with the physique that compliments it.  I was once told that in order to achieve success, you should find someone who already has accomplished what you want and copy what they have done.  What better way to achieve a goal than to get a road map directly from the horse’s mouth? 

However, just because the trainer has an aesthetically pleasing physique, does not always translate into them knowing how to train someone else to do what they can do.  There’s also the possibility of wanting to train with a man as a woman.  Pay close attention to how their clients look.  Being a quality trainer means that they produce results CONSISTENTLY with multiple clients.  The trainer I want will have a lot of clients in my demographic and in the physical condition that I want to be in.  On the path to success, it is essential to immerse yourself amongst the best and to train with those in the physical condition you are aspiring to have.

OMG…DID HE REALLY?!

Reputation really is important in every industry.  Part of a trainer’s job is service with a smile!  Spending an hour with a person that you basically know nothing about can be really dry and boring if they’ve got the personality of a wet mop.  Or, it could be incredibly uncomfortable because he’s constantly hitting on you as you’re between sets of squats.  Whatever the cause for the really awkward interaction during training sessions, this could have been avoided.  Ask questions about the prospective trainer!  Speak to other staff, SPEAK TO THEM and speak with his/her clients. Investigate what kind of reputation the prospective trainer has.  Learn from others what to expect when you train with that person and speak with them directly to see if there are any personality conflicts.

This investigation is warranted because going to the gym does not need to be miserable or something that is to be dreaded.  It might help inspire some motivation to have a smiling face to greet and good times to be had while lifting.  Point being, make sure that the trainer you are interested in working with will not only give you a way to achieve goals, but have fun throughout the process.  Feeling comfortable with a trainer with allow for open communication, which will help to tweak training plans, achieve goals and hopefully surpass what the client ever thought was possible.

WHAT DO YOU CALL THAT MOVE?

My favorite cardio is the stair mill, the revolving staircase, because it is one of the tallest machines in the gym and I sweat so much I look like I jumped in a pool when done.  This gigantic torture device makes me perched up on a throne to view all the peasants below still lifting.  During my forty-five-minute climb to no-where, every trainer in the gym gives me a presentation of what they’ve got.  I STRONGLY suggest this tactic because watching those while they don’t know they are being watched is true show of character.  While ‘people-watching’ the trainers and clients, there are several questions to mull over:

• Are they training hard or talking more?
• Is there a set training plan for the session or does the trainer look like he/she is winging it?
• Are they having a good time together?
• Why is the trainer trying to reinvent the wheel with that move? (small joke…)
• Is there a healthy ratio of machine work as well as free weights?
• Can the trainer teach me new workouts and skills?
• Does the client seem motivated and challenged by the workout?
• Could you see yourself doing the same workout?
• Is the trainer paying more attention to his phone than his client?
• Has the trainer designed a specific workout for each client or are they running each client through the same circuit?

Essentially, hiring a trainer is completely subjective.  Hire someone you like as a person because being at the gym and the fitness journey should be an enjoyable experience.  Be sure they have a track record clients getting the results that you want.  And, at the end of the day, this isn’t an irreversible decision.  Do the homework, investigate and try some training sessions.  The only way to know you have chemistry with a trainer is to actually start sweating and lifting heavy things together – happy hunting!

By: Samantha DiSabello

GET EDUCATED

I remember the first time I stepped into a gym after college when the sports, classes, coaches, boyfriends and all other structure I otherwise had in the gym was gone.  I had just broken up with my college boyfriend, my job went out of business and I was newly healed from my wisdom teeth being pulled.  Seeing as I was single, swollen and had nothing better to do, I went to the gym.  Walking in I smelled the sweat, heard the familiar sounds of weights being dropped, saw the elliptical and took off in a damn near sprint for it!  This is because I realized I had no clue what I was doing.  Not to say I was completely inept in the gym – I knew how to squat, bench and most fundamentals from being involved in sports and enjoying being active – but, I had no idea how to put a workout together. 

I always had coaches telling me what they wanted or boyfriends making me train whatever they were doing.  I had never gone to the gym by myself and said, “I’m going to lift today!”  Well today was that day and I had a true rude awakening.  Why hadn’t I taken notice of what my coaches asked of me?  You know, really looked at the entirety of the workout and tried to appreciate what they were designing for me to achieve a certain goal.  I should have asked more questions about methodology, rational and learned why I was training in the manner I was.  Same concept applies, showing up to the gym is not enough when random exercises are performed in hopes the goal will be achieved.  A goal without a plan is called a dream. 

Ladies, let’s try to be less dreamers and more achievers.  Pick a goal – Big Booty Gains in 2017 – and know exactly how you want to get there.  Speak with as many people as possible, ask professionals questions, hire a quality trainer, look on YouTube, read articles, blogs and books.  LEARN! Learn which methods give the best results you want, try different methods, walk into a gym with confidence knowing exactly what you will be doing and how hard you are willing to work to get there. 

BE AN ATHLETE

I was never allowed to walk away from practice without having been physically exhausted – regardless of the sport.  Subpar effort was unacceptable.  May I ask, why is it deemed ok to walk out of the gym without sweating?  The workout at the gym should be treated like the practice we used to have for athletics.  Maximum effort possible should be exerted every day.  That’s not to say that some days will be better than others; and, you might be really feeling it one day and not so much another.  What shall remain consistent is the effort expenditure should be in line with the attitude of ‘all in, all the time,’ regardless of how much there is to give. 

Women should demand excellence from themselves and require progress.  One key attribute that has helped me to achieve fitness goals was keeping a log book of my workouts. When I rolled up to the gym with my log book, I didn’t run for the cardio machines any longer.  I calmly walked over to the squat rack.  Ahead of time, I would write in the book what to train, how many reps, the weights and number of sets…I’d even write down what kind and how long to do cardio for!  This book I began to refer to as my bible.  Although slightly compulsive, the book gave me a very clear picture of exactly what I had been doing, what I will be doing, what has worked for me and what I was going to try next.  Progress in the gym take time and it’s easy to get lost in the thick of it.  To avoid feeling like progress is too slow and painstaking, I’d review my book.  Believe it or not, the book helps remind where you came from and how far you have gotten.  When using the log book, it is easy to pinpoint what is yielding results and what isn’t.  And, it helps inspire new workouts when I have writers block!  What was done before helps inspire new challenges and workouts for myself. 

BUT, WHAT SHOULD I DO?

When scanning the horizon around a random corporate run gym, the group fitness classes are mainly filled with women; and, there are the few brave men, very secure with their sexuality, in the back row of the salsa aerobics class.  It is time to expand horizons.  To achieve goals faster, it is essential to do workouts and training be specifically designed to achieve your individual goals.  Ask other women questions, talk and have fun while at the gym.  I can almost guarantee another lady there is trying to achieve a Brazilian booty too!  Inspire and motivate each other, don’t be in competition. However, if you are on the shyer side, then hire a trainer to only train you.  One-on-one workouts with a quality trainer will teach a huge amount to a woman trying to achieve fitness goals and possibly help her push herself past what she thought possible.  Similarly, smaller groups, such as one or two women training together, can make workouts more fun and still have the training achieve the specific goals you all seek.  HIIT cardio and super sets can easily be done with two, three or even four women together.  Alternate planning the workouts amongst the training partners and be sure to train all muscle groups.  The point of ‘small group fitness’ is to make the process of starting to train alone easier with the ideas of multiple people and feel less overwhelming.

Ultimately, it should be a goal to feel confident as you walk into a gym.  It should be refreshing to feel the sweat dripping down your cheeks and the physical exhaustion of a completed workout. However, a sense of accomplishment and determination should never be fully satisfied.  Constantly strive for greatness, if for no other reason, then to challenge yourself. Be in the know constantly, ask professionals for advice, work with experienced trainers and take yourself out of your comfort zone (aka out of group fitness).  Keep track of what you have been doing with a log book, make adjustments when needed and never stop because bodybuilding is not a sport to be conquered.

By: Samantha DiSabello

Or does ‘toned’ mean more of a Cameron Diaz physique?

Both women are considered to be amongst the most beautiful women in the world, however, they have completely different physiques.  The look most similar to Cameron Diaz has a delicious curve to the medial deltoid and a fine line between front of the shoulder and pectoral muscle gathering.  The torso continues down to tight, flat abdominal muscles; a hint of a six pack is complimented by defined obliques and enhanced by the slight curve of the hip.  Then, the eye descends to the juicy, round glutes that slope down with a tease of the voluptuous bulge to the hamstring; wrapped around by the soft, yet noticeable sweep of the quadriceps. And finally, the hint of a teardrop on the inner thigh.  THAT is how ‘toned’ shall be defined.  In order to begin the journey of trying to look like Cameron Diaz, it is important to understand the effort behind the physique and that there’s a few myths that must be confronted…

#1 LIFTING HEAVY WEIGHTS WILL MAKE WOMEN BIG AND BULKY

WASH THAT MOUTH OUT! The misconception is that when a woman lifts heavy weights, she’s going to end up with a physique that rivals this:

Women who lift with heavy weights will NOT look big and bulky like a competitive bodybuilder.  Quite the contrary is true! It is rare that a woman is capable of putting on muscle mass easily; and, it is actually more of an uphill battle for most women to obtain it.  However, MUSCLES are what give a woman’s body the Cameron Diaz’s ‘toned’ physique.  The time-tested, trusted and true method to grow muscle is to lift weights, as heavy as possible, without neglecting any muscle groups.  Treat the body like a machine with the knowledge that time and effort will result in muscle conditioning and physique composition changes. To that point, this isn’t a race!  Patience is going to be a woman’s best friend throughout the fitness journey to build muscle mass.  The experience should teach women to listen to their bodies, feed it proper nutrition and promote recovery.  Which leads to the next myth that…

#2 CALORIC DEPRIVATION IS THE ONLY WAY TO OBTAIN/MAINTAIN A LEAN PHYSIQUE

Could not be more wrong, please throw this idea out of the window.  The concept of caloric deprivation for prolonged periods of time will result in the wasting away of muscle tissue and produce a less muscular look, such as the Charlize Theron physique.  As such, if Cameron Diaz has more appealing body, then rethink the concept that food is an enemy to the goal physique.  Food is fuel to grow muscle mass, provide energy to kill leg day, the motivation to complete an hour on the stair mill and yields the fullness of a muscle curve.  Proper nutrition can increase a body’s metabolism and burn fat more efficiently.  Eating ENOUGH healthy calories will fuel the body to be better than it already is.  Fats (including saturated fats), complex carbohydrates as well as protein are all needed to aid in bulking muscle, weight loss and overall health.  Remember that diet and proper nutrition are arguably the most important aspects of achieving any physique and the keys to feeling as good as you look – repeat and embrace the saying, ‘food is fuel.’

#3 YOUR WEIGHT WILL GO DOWN AS YOU SEE RESULTS

This is not always the case.  It is somehow drilled into women that the scale needs to go down in order to see the results they want in their bodies.  Why let silly numbers dictate how you look in the mirror? It’s as if weighing less means that muscles will magically appear – not so much.  What is not understood by many women is that muscle needs to be built before leaning out can happen.  Building muscle means eating lots of healthy food to fuel muscle growth, lifting heavy weights, limiting cardio time (YAY!!); and, during this process, weight gain can happen – IT’S A GOOD THING! Watch that scale go up with pride knowing you and your body are doing EXACTLY what you want it to do.  It’s ok if the scale goes up when the body fat is lowering while muscle mass is replacing it.  The whole look of a woman’s body will change when her weight on the scale is derived from muscle rather than from fat. View the positive numbers as earned success and NEVER as a failure.  Watch the former jiggle of the triceps slowly harden to smooth skin taunt over a hint of a croissant shaped muscle with some arrogance – who cares what the scale says?

The myth of having to weigh a certain amount to achieve a certain physique is outdated and tired.  What makes a physique appealing is the aesthetics that meet the eye.  If the scale messes with your head too much, find another method of measurement, such as a tape measure or a body fat caliber.  Whatever the choice of instrument or measurement, be consistent, be healthy and don’t let silly numbers derail your goals.   The crucial aspect of working towards the desired physique is to trust the process and method to get there.  Watching the scale rise is a difficult feat for any woman, eating a lot of food is not everyone’s idea of a good time either; but, in the next weeks or months to come, when you have shoulders that give Cameron Diaz’s a run for their money, it will all be worth it. 

– Samantha DiSabello

Yes, there is such a thing as the ‘wrong coach’.  There are so many ways in which a competitor will not succeed with one particular individual and do phenomenal with another.  Possibly because some coaches are able to coach a natural athlete, others only know how to prep with drugs, and some have absolutely no business in being a coach at all.  A competitor must ask herself what kind of competitor she is choosing to be, because the answer is essential in choosing the right coach.

Another big consideration is whether the coach is able to satisfy the competitors needs during the prep process.  Is the prep they offer in person or online?  Will they allow her to contact them for anything at any time? Does this coach have a team?  Does the coach have local vendors for tanning and suits?  Are his/her athletes doing well at shows?  Does his/her bikini, figure and physique clients have aesthetically pleasing physiques? All of the answers to these questions should have heavy bearing on choosing a coach.  Some competitors enjoy working out at midnight with no one around and kind of lone-wolfing it – an online coach might be perfect for that kind of woman.  While others, need the comradery of a team, enjoy the group fitness, workout partners and having matching robes come show day.  Don’t judge, respect her process.  The challenge in choosing a coach is finding someone that shares the same vision of a physique that a competitor wishes to obtain with the knowledge of how obtain it. 

#2 PICKING THE WRONG DIVISION FOR A BODY-TYPE

Look around any room, all different body types exist.  For this reason, the NPC/IFBB and many other federations have created a vast array of divisions for female competitors.  A wise competitor will take an honest look at their physique – is the medial deltoid of the shoulder more pronounced? How are the quads doing? And from behind?  It is not enough to just be on stage if a competitor actually wants to be competitive.  The competitors must give the judges what they want and the specific attributes they are looking for if they wish to do well. 

Each year the first show of the season will dictate and set the tone for what the judges want.  It will be self-defeating, discouraging and depressing to try to do well in NPC Bikini if the competitor has a body type that looks like she belongs in NPC Figure.  And make no mistake, if you wish to be competitive in the NPC/IFBB, it is more likely than not that you will need to use drugs to achieve the desired look the judges want – yes, in all divisions including bikini.  It is an outlier physique that is capable of showing mature, conditioned muscle with retained size in the leaning out process naturally.  Those women literally woke up like that and everyone is jealous of their genetics.  But imagine what the outlier physique is capable of when using drugs to develop it further.  The decision to use the assistance of drugs to be the best competitor possible in the NPC/IFBB is not an unwise one.  However, it is unwise to use the drugs without the proper knowledge of the consequences to health and female attributes.  Which brings about the next mistake…

#3 USING DRUGS WITH NO RESPECT FOR CONSEQUENCE

Female competitors in all divisions and at all levels of the NPC/IFBB use the assistance of drugs during prep to achieve their desired physiques.  The drugs used are usually banned and most commonly consist of thermogenics as well as steroids.  The voluptuous full curve of a vascular medial deltoid muscle is a beautiful thing; however, would that NPC figure competitor still want those IFBB pro shoulders if she knew her jaw line would have to be forever changed?  Not all steroid use will cause the disfigurement of female attributes; but, the knowledge of a particular drug might be more likely than not to have said side effects, would have great bearing on a particular competitor’s decision.  It is admirable that some women will take this sport to the extent that they will do anything to be at the top and will stop at nothing to obtain it.  To them changing facial attributes is nothing in exchange for their success. 

Furthermore, it is very common that women do not appreciate the consequences that taking drugs will have on their health.  The use of steroids, even oral hormones such as Anavar, will raise the bodies red blood cell count and raise blood pressure.  The results of those two conditions for prolonged periods of time have created many adverse effects on the body and, in some cases, has resulted in serious life-threatening conditions.  If the competitor isn’t doing research as to what she is putting in her body and the consequences of which, then it is hoped that her coach has her health in mind when designing her prep. 

#4 NOT DEVELOPING A THICK SKIN

As soon as a woman decides that she wants to display her physique in two inches of fabric with a ridiculous tan, which is complimented by four-inch clear hooker heels, on a stage, she is opening the flood gates for criticism.  This is a sport (ok, more of a pageant), it has nothing to do with the competitor – male or female – as a person.  It is simply the ability to build muscle and to continue to push their bodies to change and grow.  Every person in a woman’s life is going to have something to say when they see the transformation into her prep body.  It is important to ignore the naysayers.  It is NECESSARY for a female competitor to look how she wants and to achieve the details the judges are looking for.  In short, eyes on the prize during the journey.  And after receiving criticism post-show from a panel of male judges, take a close look at those judges.  Every female competitor should ask herself, “If I saw that grossly overweight man anywhere else on this planet, would it really matter what he thinks of me?” No. Nobody would care about his opinion.  Take critiques like a grain of salt, know the areas of improvement, have a plan to effect changes and focus on the next prep, not on the imperfections. 

Talk about this article on Instagram at @Redcon1official and the author, Samantha DiSabello @SamanthaDiSabello