Oksana Grishina successfully defended her Arnold title last weekend, to make her two-year consecutive win a threepeat, and it’s pretty obvious why she remains at the top of the heap. I also wouldn’t be surprised if her visits to Arnold Europe and Olympia this year (both of which she has won for the last two years in a row) also culminate in threepeats. Her athleticism, extraordinary physique, and stage presence are truly beyond compare. Check her incredible routine from last Friday:
Category Fitness
When Your Booty Keeps Trailing Behind You
Have you been dealing with a stubbornly saggy rump which refuses to respond to all of your exercise efforts? Many of us have to constantly deal with the threat of no-ass-at-all, and we have our genetic ancestors largely to thank for that struggle. Since I am 50% Japanese, I am not exactly naturally blessed with the type of posterior which someone can rest a drink on, and if I don’t aggressively fight it through targeted exercise, I am sure that my booty would closely resemble what my flat-bummed predecessors had.
If you truly want to lift up that sad mound of flesh that you sit upon, you need to commit to a consistent booty shaping program. Compound moves like deep barbell squats or heavy barbell deadlifts can really round out the gluteal region and make it pop, but if you have low back issues, chances are that heavy squats are difficult to perform. That’s when focused, more isolated moves can come to the rescue.
Try to hit the glutes THREE days per week, with a day in between each session. The glutes tend to respond well to volume training, which is why I generally recommend many different moves in one session. Here is a modified glute day for a client who cannot do barbell squats:
Bodyweight squats for warm-up 3×30
Walking lunges 5×20,18,15,12,20
Hip thruster pulses (small range of motion at top of movement) on leg extension machine 5×20,18,15,12,20
One-legged dumbbell deadlifts 5×20,18,15,12,20
Prone leg curls 5×20,18,15,12,20
cable kickbacks kicking out to side at a 30 degree angle 5×15
cable bent leg donkey kicks 5×15
butt blaster 5×20,18,15,12,20
If you follow this routine three days per week and work out with intensity, your tush should look rounder and more gravity-defying after 3-4 weeks.
What Do You Want To See On My Blog?
Hey everyone! I wanted to check in with you to see what you would like to see on my blog. Since I have been posting every single day, it can be a real challenge to come up with content to post. For that reason, I am not as prone to write lengthy posts.
I have also decided to change my posting frequency to three days per week from now on. I will post every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday or Sunday.
Here is a list of topics which I typically cover:
Preventative health
Optimal health
Brain health
Medical conditions
Anti-aging
Nutrition
Healthy recipes
Supplements
Weightlifting
Exercise
Fitness
Bodybuilding
Sports
Cosmetic Dermatology
Skincare
Makeup
Personal grooming
Empowerment
Modeling
Branding
Fashion
Bodybuilding contests and prep
Music
Pets
Relationships
Travel
Comedy
Entertainment
I welcome suggestions from you! Please reply to this post and let me know how I can best accommodate your interests.
Thanks so much for following my blog!
Love That Egg Protein!
Silks Class
Last fall, I began taking flying trapeze classes and loved the challenge of performing tricks while suspended in the air. What I did not enjoy was being up on the pedestal board, which is the 12 inch deep platform that performers stand on and launch from. Even though I don’t have a significant fear of heights, that damned platform would freak me out every single time I went up there. When you set up to launch off the board, you have to lean completely forward, either by holding onto the side rail or having someone hold you at the waist while you lean waaaaaaay forward. It’s completely unnerving. After three flying trapeze classes, and twenty visits to that blasted board, I still hated being up on the board so much that it distracted me from the joy I felt when I was finally swinging on the trapeze. I could no longer deal with the feeling that my heart wanted to leap out of my chest every time I stood on the board, so I abandoned my pursuit of the flying trapeze.
Though I was pretty much done with flying trapeze, I began to consider taking classes in static trapeze, bungee trapeze, and lyra hoop. I also looked into aerial silks and was so fascinated that I had determined that it was the aerial art I wanted to try next. My roommate and friend Myra bought me a silks class session for Christmas (thank you Myra!), so my opportunity to try silks came about even sooner than I had expected. I booked a class session and headed over to the dance studio earlier this week after work.
The instructor, Kylie, was very friendly and really knew how to explain the tricks in a way which anyone could understand. She showed me the first move, which was a straddle mount inversion. You can see a straddle mount inversion demonstrated in this video:
After Kylie demonstrated the move, she had me come up and try it. I grabbed the silks and attempted to jump into a straddle. No go. My legs folded in and I sank to the mat. I tried a second time and got it, but I didn’t look nearly as graceful as the former ballerina who was now trying to instruct me on the art of aerial silks.
We then did the single foot lock:
And aerial splits:
Throughout the class, I also did arabesques and other ballet-inspired moves while suspended on the silks (it’s a good thing I took basic ballet when I was a kid!). At the end of the 75 minute class in aerial silks, my interest had not waned. I was intrigued. I loved the challenge of using the strength in my abdominals and arms, but the forearm tendinitis and achiness in my wrists and hands became limiting factors in my stamina, so I have some concerns about taxing my body by taking more classes. There are other obstacles as well: 1. lack of free time, 2. lack of funds, and 3. not wanting to remember all the choreography in my already very full brain.
If you are considering taking aerial silks, be aware that you will be at a distinct advantage if you have a strong upper body, because you will be supporting your body weight with your upper body for the majority of the time. If you have severe arthritis in your shoulders, elbows, wrists or hands, you will not enjoy silks. This is a VERY challenging art!
Blue Line Efex Image From February 3rd
Here is an image from a shoot I did with Blue Line Efex on February 3rd. I rarely get headshots taken, but I like the softness of this one, and I also dig how I look so young in it too, without edits.
Golden Goddess..Ravish Sands Competition Bikini For Sale
This suit is GORGEOUS! It’s a custom Ravish Sands competition bikini, perfect for the NPC or IFBB Bikini competitor who wants to be a golden goddess! The base of the suit is a hologram yellow, and the top and the front of the bottoms are heavily crystallized with Swarovski crystals. The gold and rhinestone chain connectors are so flattering to the hips too!
I paid $500 to have this suit made, and wore it on the IFBB Pro stage at two events in 2014. The suit is in fantastic condition, with no missing crystals or signs of wear, and there is only a minimal amount of staining on the inside of the suit from competition spray tan.
This suit will fit a 34 to 36 C or D cup, and the bottoms will fit a 33 to 35 inch hip. For reference, I am 5’5″, 119 lbs., with 34-24-34 dimensions.
Price is $250 and includes shipping.
Please message me at stacey@staceynaito.com if you are interested.
I Don’t Need To Compete
People still ask me, “When’s your next show?”, despite the fact that I haven’t competed in close to two years (my last event was in June of 2014). Somewhere along the way, I lost the desire to allow every square millimeter of my body to be scrutinized by judges onstage, and decided to shift my focus to other goals and projects. It can be pretty brutal to put oneself on the chopping block all the time, to be analyzed and judged on the basis of balance, symmetry, and conditioning, especially when the IFBB Pro Bikini pool is teeming with spectacular physiques which seem almost superhuman.
That being said, I wouldn’t trade my experiences for the world, and I feel so blessed to have competed for the six years that I did. As a matter of fact, I still feel that competing is very much in my blood. I am also so grateful for all the opportunities which came to me while I competed. I even have a few suits in my armoire (one of which I am still trying to sell), and the tangerine suit which I won my Pro Card in will never be sold.
Part of me doesn’t want to abandon the idea of possibly stepping onstage again. However, it has become increasingly more difficult for me to get the razor sharp, shredded look that is necessary for the stage, and I lack the time to hit the gym for three to five hours each day in preparation for a contest. The drive to compete has been replaced with a fierce desire to make a bigger name for myself in the world, and I truly believe that if I clutter my world with contest prep strategies, I will dilute my energies too much and will lose the forest for the trees.
I know the question still remains: “When’s your next show?”, and I really can’t provide a clear answer. Despite the fact that each passing day pushes the notion of competing further and further away, I might just decide to grace the stage again at some point.
You never know.
Leggy Shot From BlueLinEfex Taken February 3rd, 2016
The kelly green and black silk jacket is a vintage item from my mother’s 1960’s collection and is one of my favorite pieces. I am so glad I got to shoot in it!
My Video Review Of The Hot Logic Mini
Please check out my review of the Hot Logic Mini on YouTube. It’s a portable mini oven which you can take everywhere with you! All you need is a power source, and you can heat up pre-made meals or even cook something from scratch.
Go to http://www.hot-logic-mini.com/staceynaito to order, and enter discount code STACEYNAITO at checkout for 20% off your order.
