To be, or not to be, Kurt Warner?

I happen to follow Kurt Warner on Twitter.  Not only is he an all-around super nice guy, he also happens to be one of the best undrafted football players of all time and his12-year career is regarded as one of the greatest NFL stories in history.  Here is how I responded to one of his many tweets:

Ok…now I know that Kurt HAD to work with great trainers in his NFL days, but hello!  I guess I just assume that it’s common knowledge that eating clean + weight training = ripped. 

How bad do you really want a ripped body?  If you want it bad enough like I did, then commit to eating clean/non-processed foods. I’m talking really and truly commit.  Read The Eat Clean Diet from Tosca Reno or The Paleo Diet book from Dr. Laura Dolson.  (I prefer to call it a lifestyle instead of a diet and no, I do not get any commissions for plugging these books.  I love them and they helped change my life.)  

Educate yourself, get rid of all the junk in your pantries, get to the gym or set up your own workout area, and make your new body happen! 

It’s amazing how many people just haven’t made the connection to what goes into your body creates HOW you look.  It really is 70% diet, 20% workouts, and 10% genetics.  Your diet is KEY to sculpting your body starting from the inside.  Weight training will mold and form your muscles to create a beautiful body.  Eat clean to get and stay lean. 

Love ya, Kurt, but just “eating better” won’t help you get ripped.

To be (ripped), or not to be (ripped)…that is the question.  The answer is up to you.

Look ma'...no hands!!

As I’ve said before, the gym is my therapy.  While I’m working out, I focus on my routine, form, physical goals, and thoughts in general.  I don’t really pay attention to what or who is around me unless there is continuous grunting or loud noises…not uncommon for a few meatballs in the gym.  However, I couldn’t help but notice most people in front of me the other day when I was on the stairmaster.  At least seven people were hanging and/or leaning on their equipment.  It’s like the equipment was actually holding them up! 

Hey, I’m exhausted after ten minutes on the stairmaster and feel like leaning on it, but I want to do the work and exert all of my effort so that I can get the most results from my energy on that machine. Whatever machine you choose to use, choose the right speed so that you don’t feel the need to lean on it.  Leaning on the machine is not going to get you where you want to be.  Stand up straight and feel the full range of motion that will utilize all of your muscles so you can get the best results.

If you’re actually holding a conversation, then you’re not working out hard enough.  If you’re reading while you’re exercising, you’re probably not utilizing that machine like you should be.  Put in real effort, sweat, and feel your heart pumping!  Don’t waste your time after you’ve actually made the time to get to the gym and commit to working out.  It’s called “working out” for a reason.  It’s definitely not easy, but so worth the trouble, commitment and end results.  

Baby Got Back!!...and back, and back...

It seems like most people, like me, ignore working on their back in the gym.  Since I competed in March and saw the photos of my backside (Omg…those shots were way to close), I decided that I haven’t given enough time working on the muscles in my back.  It appears that I have some extra skin hanging around my lower back, so I decided that I’m going to fill them in with muscle because gravity and age are never going to give up.  I was also purposely ignoring it because I never wanted big lats.  I always thought it would make me look too “manly”.  But, I would rather have a strong feminine clean looking back than one with “back-boobs” and extra skin folds. 

With the help of Bodybuilding.com, I have educated myself about my back and how to improve and sculpt it the way I need to.

Back development is extremely important to a competitor, but it's great for all women. It shows your true strength and makes your waist and hips look smaller, balancing your upper and lower body.  Who wouldn’t want that?

To balance out your back symmetry, you need to know what area (upper, middle, lower) of the back you need to bring up. Once you are aware of this, you can customize your workouts to focus on your weak points.  If your weak point is your upper back, perform your movements with wide grips. Choose wide grip pull-ups, wide grip lat pull downs, wide grip t-bar rows.

You can target your middle back by performing exercises that allow you the greatest range of motion, to really target your inner back muscles. Make sure not to go too heavy and cut short your range of motion. Good exercises include one-arm dumbbell rows, barbell rows, and seated cable rows.  To focus on your lower back, your staple should be dead lifts. You can supplement dead lifts with hyperextensions and seated back extensions.

Now, this baby's going to get back!!!