Author drstaceynaito
How To Do A Smith Machine Squat
I was recently asked by a dear friend and client about the proper way to do Smith Machine squats. There is a safe and very effective way to do squats on the Smith Machine which will maximize recruitment of the glutes, hamstrings and quads.
Your torso should be in line with the Smith machine rack during the squat movement. A good way to check your form is by looking in the mirror from a side view to check your alignment. Tuck your tailbone in slightly but make sure to keep your back neutral. In order to keep everything in line with your upper body, you need to make sure that your feet are far enough forward. You can place your feet close together, shoulder width apart, or at a wide stance.
Keep in mind that if there is a slant to the Smith Machine apparatus that you will have a tougher time keeping your back in line with the slant, in which case you will favor keeping your upper body completely perpendicular to the floor instead. Make sure to keep your back NEUTRAL the entire time.
When you push the bar up, you will only go up halfway. Concentrate on squeezing your glutes and pushing through your HEELS. On the down phase, you will come down beyond 90 degrees (around 60 degrees at the knees). Move slowly and deliberately. If you are doing these correctly, you will feel a stretch in your hamstrings and glutes.
Too Much Cardio: The Skinny-Fat Trap
This blog post is dedicated to all of you who think that by doing massive amounts of cardio with no weight training, you will somehow keep yourself trim and tight. People who are of normal weight but who lack curvy, tight muscle because they do not lift weights often develop a palpable frustration. When I hear someone complain about feeling flabby despite doing tons of cardio at the gym, I want to SCREAM, “PICK UP A WEIGHT!!!”, because I know that this is a key component which is missing in their regimens. For those who don’t like weights, use resistance bands or the resistance of your own body weight and do SOMETHING that will challenge your muscles and create those microtears that lead to the development of new muscle.
I have actually seen some of the regulars at the gym I have frequented for many years descend into that skinny-fat trap because all they do is climb onto treadmills, bikes and elliptical trainers, perform boring steady-state cardio, then drive home without ever lifting a weight. Over time, they look more and more deflated as the aging process slowly but surely shifts their lean mass to body fat ratio in an unfavorable direction. Who wants to be mushy? If you don’t want that, it is time to stop wasting your time in the gym and become smarter about your training. You need nice, full, curvy, sexy muscles under skin to lift sagging areas such as the buttocks, chest, arms, and belly.
For those of you who are still timid about lifting weights, or who perhaps don’t know a thing about such activity, hire a trainer. Once you start to get used to challenging your muscles, it is important to establish a routine in which you are lifting regularly. If free weights (dumbbells and barbells, kettlebells and medicine balls) intimidate you, just use the machines that are scattered around the gym until you feel comfortable enough to venture into free weights.
I know that there are many of you who are concerned about looking overly muscular or about gaining pounds instead of losing them, so let’s address those concerns. If you think that by embarking on a weightlifting regimen, you will suddenly grow ridiculous amounts of muscle that would rival Popeye, think again. What you will develop is better muscle tone which will pull your skin tighter and give you a lifted, tighter, more toned appearance. You will actually end up looking more compact as a result of building a modest amount of muscle. If your concern is based more on the fear of seeing the number on the scale increase, relax. It is more important to monitor your progress by how your clothing fits. If you are accustomed to living in a skinny-fat body, you should notice over time that your pants clothing will fit differently, probably looser in the waistband. You should notice that your shorts and pants fit differently and that your butt line is higher than it was before you began training.
If you are slender but flabby, it is time to switch up your thinking and embrace the idea of building muscle through lifting weights or performing exercises with your body weight as resistance. Of course if you want to like a deflated balloon, keep doing massive amounts of cardio and no weights. It’s your decision!
You Need To Go To Olympia
Olympia is the granddaddy of bodybuilding events, compelling people from all over the world to descend upon Sin City for a weekend of glistening, supertanned muscles, scantily clad bodies, and enough free sports supplement samples to keep everyone amped up with bloated bellies as they walk through the Expo. The Olympia Expo is quite a sensory overload, a smorgasbord of sounds, sights, smells, and tastes! You also should watch out for flying objects since items such as t-shirts are thrown into crowds during hyped-up giveaways at the larger booths. You won’t find too many events in which such action-hero genetic freaks can easily and comfortably congregate. I feel very much at home in such company, and look forward to all the Olympia events every single year.
I love working a booth at the Expo even though it prevents me from seeing most of the competitions that take place in the main arena. I gladly suffer through the sore feet that result from standing and walking all day. Fans and followers will look for the booth I am working at in order to say hello and take a picture with me, and that always means a great deal to me, especially since I know that the crowded Expo hall can be very tricky to navigate when someone is looking for a specific booth or person. Every Olympia is also a great reunion in which I can see many of my fitness and bodybuilding friends from all over the world.
If you have any interest in fitness and bodybuilding but have never been to Olympia, make an effort to travel to Las Vegas one year in late September so that you can witness this incredible event.
Holding Yourself Accountable
It can be very difficult to stay on track with a structured meal plan or training regimen. Heck, I have even heard people talk about how difficult it is to remember to take daily supplements or to floss regularly. The parent inside of each of us often struggles to keep everything in line so that guilt doesn’t set in. When we fall off track, it can be very easy to rationalize the errant behavior, reasoning that perhaps we needed the extra carbs or needed to take a day off training after all.
For those of us who are in the fitness world, especially those of us who compete, there is so much structure to our regimens that it is easier to keep ourselves in line. We are conditioned to keep our blinders on and stay the course with food and training. But those who are not immersed in the world of fitness and bodybuilding tend to struggle more with a regular regimen. If no specific fitness or health goal is defined, people tend to zigzag with their regimens, adding more unscheduled fun meals, more alcohol, and more missed trips to the gym.
If you are one of those people who tend to fall off track more easily, there are some guidelines which you can follow (listed below) which will help to keep you in line. More importantly, however, you need to remind yourself WHY holding yourself accountable is beneficial. When you hold yourself accountable, you stoke a fire that propels you towards your health goals. By staying on track, you develop a “can-do” attitude which extends into all areas of your life.
Here are some tips on how to keep you on track with your eating habits and exercise plan.
1. Train with a trainer. When you work out with a trainer, you become accountable to that trainer. You need to show up and do the work!
2. Train with a friend. Similar to training with a trainer, when you and a friend agree to meet for a workout, you hold each other accountable. I always recommend setting a day and time and then prohibiting each other from cancelling, no-showing or rescheduling.
3. Prep and pack your food in advance. Prepare your day’s food the night before and store it in individual serving containers so that you can easily pack them into a bag the next morning.
4. Keep junk foods and snacks out of your kitchen. If you have tempting foods in your kitchen, you risk sabotaging your own efforts to stay on a healthy eating plan.
Remember that you can maintain focus on healthy patterns. Keep your eye on the prize!
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Slow Cooker Sweet Potatoes
Original post can be found at:
http://www.rxmuscle.com/blogs/the-kitchen-eating-strategies/9393-slow-cooker-sweet-potatoes.html
Food prep continues to be a tedious process for me, despite the fact that it is a regular occurrence. I am sure many of you can relate to such woes and are searching for ways to cut prep time down so you can take care of more important things in life. Usually I roast sweet potatoes in the oven, but I was particularly unmotivated the other evening and decided to adopt a lazy approach while still using the delicious marinade I typically mix up. I use a heavy hand with the spices because I want that holiday flavor, so you might want to cut down the portion of spices if you want a more basic flavor.
I usually avoid using the slow cooker because food items tend to get mushy, but as long as the potatoes are cut into large sections, that should not occur. Another bonus is that your place will smell incredible when these are cooking!
Ingredients:
5 pounds sweet potatoes or yams, washed and cut into large cubes
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice
1 tablespoon cinnamon
Directions:
Place sweet potato crock potsweet potato sections into a clean plastic bag. Mix remaining ingredients together, then pour into bag. Twist bag so that it is securely closed, then shake it so that the potatoes are evenly coated with the marinade mixture.
Open bag and pour contents into slow cooker. Add 1 cup water and set cooker on low.
Protein Pancake Recipe
I love pancakes. When I was a child, they were served on a rare weekend day when my mom felt inclined to cook something other than the usual eggs and breakfast meat. Now that I am involved in fitness, I rarely entertain the idea of eating pancakes, but there is a healthy and high protein version which anyone can easily cook up. I used to make these in 2010 when I was in the midst of contest prep for the national stage, so they are definitely contest friendly. I love this particular recipe because they are moist and dense, just the way I like them. You can top your pancake with nut butter, jam, fresh fruit, honey, agave nectar or syrup.
DR. STACEY’S PROTEIN PANCAKES:
2 large egg whites
1/4 cup almond milk
1/3 cup dry oats
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 scoop vanilla whey protein
1-1/2 tablespoons nonfat Greek yogurt (optional)
Blend all ingredients together. Spray a skillet with non-stick cooking spray, then pour mixture into skillet. Cook on medium heat for about 3 minutes, then flip over and cook for another 3 minutes. Remove from pan and serve with 1/4 cup fresh fruit and 1 teaspoon peanut or almond butter.
