Tag weightlifting

Discussion of Booty Blast Video Superset #1

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Here are some tips for each of the exercises in this superset to ensure good form and maximum gluteal muscle recruitment. When you perform jump squats, try to get as low as possible without straining your knees, then jump explosively into mid-air. When you land from the jump, you will immediately jump again. Also make sure to sit more into the movement, as this will hit more of the glute muscles. When you have completed your jump squats, you will go immediately into stiff-legged dumbbell deadlifts. Stand with feet close together and hold the dumbbells so that your palms face your body, then bend forward at the waist so that dumbbells are almost touching the floor. You should feel a good stretch in the back of the legs when you do this.

The trickiest move in this superset is the bench crossover jump. If you crouch somewhat during the movement, you will have better stability. Do NOT rest when your feet are at the top of the bench! In fact, when you plant one foot on the bench for your jump, that foot should already be lifting off the bench when your plant your other foot on the bench during your jump. This is an explosive and powerful move!

Discussion of Back Blast Video

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Yesterday I posted a video of a supersetted weightlifting routine for the back which hits all the major muscles of the back. Here are some tips on performing the exercises which will be especially helpful if you are new to weightlifting. If you are truly brand new to weightlifting, only do three supersets of each group, and keep the weight lifted light enough so that you can concentrate on your form. Move from one exercise directly to the next without resting, and pause for 30 to 60 seconds between supersets.

Wide Grip Pulldowns: Grab bar near the ends and make sure to pull it down to your chest while slightly squeezing your shoulder blades together. Keep your back straight and only lean back just enough so that your face clears the bar as it comes down. When the bar comes back up, get a full stretch before performing the next rep. Exhale as the bar comes down, then inhale as it comes up.

Bent Over Cable Parallel Grip Rows: Keep your back straight during this movement and maintain a bend in the knees. The only movement should occur in your arms as you pull the grip bar towards your belly while squeezing your shoulder blades together. Exhale as you pull bar towards you and inhale as it moves away from you.

Seated Close Grip, Reverse Grip Pulldowns: This exercise is very similar to wide grip pulldowns, but you will grab bar so that your palms face you and your hands are close together.

One-Arm-Dumbbell-RowsOne Arm Dumbbell Rows: If you feel off balance during this move, you can hold onto the back of a bench with your free hand or place your hand on a flat bench (as pictured here) for stability. Bend forward at the waist and hold a dumbbell with your arm extended towards the floor. Bend at the elbow as you exhale and bring the weight up to your torso.

Hyperextensions: Beginners should perform this move without any weight. When you extend your back into the movement, make sure not to come up too high.

Good Mornings: This is a great old-school move but also the trickiest for beginners. Start by standing with the barbell on your shoulders and feet close together. Bend at the waist but keep your back straight as you move, stopping when your upper body is parallel with the floor. Maintain back alignment as you return to standing position.

Training For Life

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Over the past few weeks I have heard a few competitors state that they plan to completely stop weight training for a few weeks because they are burnt out on prepping for competitions. While I agree that taking some time off can be a good thing, taking several weeks off seems like complete madness to me. Though I get a kick out of people who have this on-again, off-again attitude with respect to training, I am more disturbed than amused by such an attitude because it is in stark opposition to my attitude towards training.

My attitude towards training stems from the fact that I train for life, not for the stage per se. I increase the number of workouts before a big contest, but I never hang up my training hat for more than a couple of days at a time. Why? Because I truly love training, and I strive to remain consistent with my conditioning. I also ensure that I will be shoot ready whenever the need arises. I have had last minute calls to shoot and never have to worry that I will not be camera worthy.

It blows my mind how many people have asked me if I plan to stop training now that I have earned my IFBB Pro Card. I didn’t train hard to get my Pro Card just so I could let it all go to mush! If anything, I have even more reason to uphold the level of conditioning which has taken years for me to achieve. You won’t see me avoiding the gym or eating tons of bad foods, because I have every intention of honoring the status I have earned. It’s back to the gym for me!dumbbells

You Know You Are A Die-Hard Competitor When…

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Lizzy and me at TU• You eat most of your meals out of plastic containers
• You avoid restaurants because it is too tough to find clean choices
• You will only travel somewhere if there is a gym nearby
• You think vascularity and sweat are sexy
• You gaze longingly at forbidden foods
• You know what a protein bomb is!
• The smell of tanning solution is very familiar to you
• If you are a lady, you know what it means to use a cup in the restroom
• You have a love-hate relationship with asparagus, fish, and/or chicken
• You walk around your house in clear heels and practice posing when showtime approaches
• You know what two-a-days are
• You are accustomed to using dark sheets and towels post-tan

Team Bombshell Poster From NPC Team Universe

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Congratulations to Team Bombshell four NEW Masters Bikini Athletes who earned their IFBB Pro Cards at the 2013 NPC Team Universe! From (Left To Right);
Stacey Naito from California (Over 40 Overall Champion, also took 1st place in Over 35 B Class), Lindsay Oxford from Texas (2nd place Team Bombshell New IFBB Bikini Pros!Over 35 B Class), Maria Chase (Over 35 C Class Champion) and Amira Lamb from NYC (Over 35 A Class Champion)

http://www.bombshellfitness.com

The Team Universe Spell Has Finally Been Broken

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Team UEvery year the NPC Team Universe awards IFBB Pro Cards to a large group of deserving athletes, so it is an extremely enticing National level bodybuilding contest for competitors who qualify at that level. I was certainly enticed and ended up competing at Team U four years in a row, with this year’s showing culminating in attaining the IFBB Pro Status I had coveted for many years. But I will admit that I almost did not enter the contest this year as a result of a lackluster performance in the three previous years. I used to refer to the “Team U Curse” when discussing Team Universe as a result of some very odd and disconcerting coincidences. Thank goodness the spell was broken this year!

When I competed at Team U in 2010 I was not “on the map” with respect to competing at the national level and as a result I was hardly given a glance by the judges. I competed against one of my dear friends who ended up winning her Pro card that year. Then in 2011 I once again found myself competing against a dear friend and watched as she won her Pro card while I had a decent but less than stellar performance. Not easily deterred, I competed at Team U in 2012 and found myself once again competing against a dear friend who got her Pro card. I was thrilled for every one of my friends, but it was a bit distressing to feel like the bridesmaid but never the bride for three consecutive years. Added to this was my intense dislike of driving around south New Jersey, the threat of rain looming over my freshly applied spray tan, and numerous other stressors and mishaps. It is no surprise that I began to think that it wasn’t a good idea for me to ever compete again at Team U.

Then this year I just decided that I had to get up onstage in New Jersey despite the pattern which had defined the last three years. Thank goodness I did! In the weeks leading up to this year’s competition, I FELT different. I was no longer concerned about who was going to beat me in New Jersey. I focused on my training, kept my nose to the grindstone and trained harder than I ever have. When I flew to Newark, there were no flight delays or mishaps, and I didn’t get lost when I drove to the hotel. There were a couple of glitches during my trip, but they were minor, and I didn’t get rattled. When I was deciding on what suit to wear, the one I chose just GLOWED and I knew it was the winning suit. My tan, my conditioning, my makeup and my hair were just right, and it was truly as if the planets aligned.

I ended up taking two First Place finishes when I only needed one to win my Pro card, plus I took an Overall win.

Don’t EVER give up on your goals. You never know when the Universe will grant you that precious wish.