Showing posts with label gaining muscle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gaining muscle. Show all posts

Friday, September 12, 2014

There is not any FAIRY DUST OR WAVE OF THE WAND TO LOSE WEIGHT!


     It seems like yesterday when I think about the adventure I had reaching my fit and healthy goals. I remember being just like everyone else when it came to working out. I only worked out when I was gaining too much weight. I only did the cardio classes and machines I liked. I never really lifted heavy weights because I feared that I would get ginormous.  I would do the latest fad diet or take the popular weight-loss pill. I used to eat all those weight-loss meals with no real results I wanted. I had cellulite up and down my legs and just assumed that I had BIG BONES. All of these things I did never helped me get to the goals I wanted. Yes, I would lose maybe 10 lbs., but I would gain it back because I would stop working out and (what I thought was) eating healthy. 





     Unfortunately, the majority of you all out there that believe you can just lose weight with a magic pill, don't have to change your intake of types of foods, and not workout. However, if this is so true then why haven't you all reached your ultimate fitness goals? Remember, you don't have to look like me. I want to look this fit. I'm a figure competitor and this is the body type that is required. Plus, I love the way I look and really don't give a damn what anyone else thinks about me. If you feel that way about yourself then great! So, don't be hating the girl or girls you see that are fit! 

Image credits: photos-ak.sparkpeople.com



     Now, if you really want to lose weight and be healthy, then you really need to change your habits. You have to start looking at your body as if it was your car. You all know that if you do not keep your car periodically maintenance, eventually it will break down. It is the same thing with your body. If you put bad gas in your car, it will run poorly and backfire. It is the same with your body. The difference is that you can't be put back together like a car can. When your car breaks down you simply buy the part, pay for labor and your car is back on the road in a few days. Your body will not bounce back this fast if it needs a body part to be changed. Do you understand what I'm telling you? 



Image credits: heyyougetreal.com


     Eating mindlessly and empty calories (food with zilch nutrition value) is only going to make you gain unwanted pounds, drain up your energy levels for work, screw up your health, mess up your hormones and even lead to depression. For you to reach your goals you have to be in it 100%. Food is 80%. Cardio and resistance training is 20%. There is no other way around it. I call them the 3 Amigos! You have to have all three whether you want to gain muscle, lose weight, or maintain 
weight. 



     When you decide you are ready for a change, then start out with a journal. Write down what your weight is, what your measurements are, your short-term weight loss goal you want to reach for the month and your long-term weight loss goal. Next, take some pictures of yourself. Pictures speak thousand words. Our minds tend to play games on ourselves so having these different stats will help you see the whole picture. See if you can get your weight done with a weight machine that breaks up your body into parts. This means: lean muscle mass, body fat %, body fat in pounds, and water. Don't worry about weighing what society says we are supposed to weigh. Worry about your body fat going down, your muscle going up and your measurements going down. I have found that weekly assessments works better for my clients than monthly because they know that they can't mess around on the weekends. Which are the days that always sabotages everyone! On the other hand, only take your new pictures monthly. If you have done everything right, then you will see a big difference in 
your pictures.



Reach your fitness goals!
Candace



Monday, September 14, 2009

Bicep, Tricep and Shoulder Workout
















Biceps: 3 - 4 sets
preacher curl: 10 reps
alternating bicep curls: 12 reps
21's: 7 lower, 7 complete, 7 upper

Triceps: 3 - 4 sets
tricep dips with body weight on bench: 10 reps
tricep kickbacks: 12 reps
tricep rope pulldowns: 12 reps









Shoulders: 3 - 4 sets
standing barbell overhead press: 10 reps
dumbbell front raises: 10 reps
lateral raises: 12 reps
bent-over lateral raises: 3 sets 15 reps

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Combo Arms and Shoulders Workout


Combo Arm and Shoulder Workout

3 - 4 Sets
10 Reps

Standing barbell shoulder press

Rope bicep curls
Image Credits: gopixpic.com

Overhead Rope tricep extension
Image Credits: workoutlabs.com


3 - 4 Sets
12 - 15 Reps

DB front raises
Image Credits: homegymhq.net

Seated alt. dumbbell curls
Image Credits: grabafit.com

Rope tricep pulldown
Image Credits: cablecable.info

3 - 4 Sets
12 - 15 Reps

Seated bent over lateral raises
Image Credit: munfitnessblog.com

21's: with straight bar
Image Credits: 1.bp.blogspot.com

DB tricep kickbacks

Image Credits: www.goodhousekeeping.com










Saturday, August 22, 2009

The Evolution of Progress: What I look like 15 lbs. in 2009 and Now





































  
       Progress takes time! These are some pictures of my progress throughout the years. I was 165 lbs. when I began this journey back in 2008. After many successes and failures I finally reached some progress in August 2009 weighing 150 lbs. Finally, lost all the weight ( 35 lbs. ) at the end of that year! The problem was that there is so much mis-information out there that I had to keep studying to weed out the BS from the real information. I'm very glad I kept that old bikini to have another updated picture of myself in 2014 to be able to show you all the hard work pays off! 

     People just really need to not believe the BS when they tell you that you can lose 40 lbs. in one month without diet or training. I had worked out seriously for 6 months and I lost only 7 lbs! It was very upsetting and could have been quicker, but I took baby steps in order to change my lifestyle to a healthy one. Plus, there were a lot or products and foods that claimed to be "low-fat" and "low-carb" and in actuality they were hindering my success. I wasn't until I started to "Eat Clean" is when the fat melted off and I gained fat-burning muscle!

     In Shape magazine, I read Jillian Michaels' interview about the dramatic weight loss is achieved on the show, "The Biggest Loser". People don't realize that she would make those contestants perform at least 5 hours of cardio a day! They are training at the gym twice a day, mornings and nights. This is the reason why they have such dramatic weight loss through hard work and not because they took some wonder pill.

     Personally, I did not have all that time. I was a student at Pan-Am with a full schedule, I worked for my husband's business, took care of the house and my son. In the past, I worked out in the mornings for about 2.5 - 3 hours, but now that I know more my workouts are just about 2 hours for competitions and 1.5 hours during off-season. I weight train in the mornings and do cardiovascular training in the afternoon. Breaking down your workouts frees up plenty of time to do the errands you need to do for the day. I now run my own private fitness studio, Fit Science LLC, and I still have time to workout! You do not have to work out as hard as you think you do or like the contestants on Biggest Loser. You just have to make the effort to change your lifestyle to a healthy one by eating natural foods (80%), weight training (10%), and cardio (10%).