Hey I have been getting messages that some of you are using my routines as your own and I admit I find that delightful. So here's one for my swolemates... enjoy!
Shoulder & Chest (BIG RECOVERY TIMES, GO AS HEAVY AS YOU CAN FOR THESE COUNTS)
On all of the shoulder exercises I moved up in weight by 5lb increments as I worked my way through each set. Should take about an hour, ten.
Shoulder Press: seated, 4 sets of 12 (I am finally throwing up those 40's like they're 30's... Can we just have a party for my shoulders for 5 seconds..... thank you, moving on)
Arnold Press: Seated, 3 sets of 10-12
Bent-arm Lateral Raise: 4 sets of 10-12, you can bend your knees to keep yourself from bouncing or to further isolate those delts. If you are not crying on these already, you are going too light.
Medium-Wide Grip Barbell overhead front raise: 4 sets of 12. I did 30lbs, any heavier and I would have been swinging, but even with this my last 3 reps were a bit suspect. You def want to take a half a beat at the top of the movement as your head is "thru the window".
Incline-bench dumbbell press: 3 sets of 12
Incline-bench Fly w/twist: 3 sets of 12
Rear-delt Cable Fly: 4 sets of 12 Standard 'wonder woman stance' as you pull though, hands don't need to go behind you, just open wide enough to complete the movement.
(Standing)Machine Rear-delt Fly: keep those traps down!!!! 4 sets of 12, hands are palm down to oppose the grip of the cable fly you just did.
Good luck... I was shaking, just to forewarn you!
Your Trainer,
T-RoCk :)
Monday, December 1, 2014
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
"The Wing Maker" (Back & Calves from 11.16.14)
Sorry this took me so long to post! This is my Back workout from Sunday I was telling you about. Takes about an hour +10 to complete...
1000m row
Pull-ups: 20 ( I broke them into sets of 5 (so no excuses) and switched my grip every set. If you can't do these - I had my girlfriend do 3 negatives in place of every one of my sets)
Ring or TRX row: 4 sets of 10
Wide-Grip Lat Pull-down: 3 sets of 12
Bent Over Row w/Olympic Bar: 1 warm-up set to test then 3 sets of 8-12. I got up to the Olympic bar + 2 45lb plates but then I always start to bounce so :/
1-armed db Row: 4 sets of 12 each arm ( work your way up every set!).
Incline reverse lateral fly with wrist rotation: 3 sets of 12 you really want to keep you chesticles right at the top of that bench! And when you extend your arms, you should be making a "T" shape. A lot of times people keep there arms to low and make an "A"
Standing machine reverse fly: 3 sets 12
SUPERSET
Standing Calve Raise: 3 sets of 20, turn those toes every set
Weighted Back Extension : 3 sets of 15-20, squeeze at the top. I did a 25lb plate but you don't need to go ham on this to feel it I promise.
SUPERSET
Seated Calve Raise: 3 sets of 20, turning your toes every set
Let me know how it goes! Go HEAVY or don't even talk to me. There's a lot of chesticle in that photo. Yes, I totally noticed that. Whatev. Happy Tuesday!
Have a great day!
Tristan
xox
1000m row
Pull-ups: 20 ( I broke them into sets of 5 (so no excuses) and switched my grip every set. If you can't do these - I had my girlfriend do 3 negatives in place of every one of my sets)
Ring or TRX row: 4 sets of 10
Wide-Grip Lat Pull-down: 3 sets of 12
Bent Over Row w/Olympic Bar: 1 warm-up set to test then 3 sets of 8-12. I got up to the Olympic bar + 2 45lb plates but then I always start to bounce so :/
Incline reverse lateral fly with wrist rotation: 3 sets of 12 you really want to keep you chesticles right at the top of that bench! And when you extend your arms, you should be making a "T" shape. A lot of times people keep there arms to low and make an "A"
Standing machine reverse fly: 3 sets 12
SUPERSET
Standing Calve Raise: 3 sets of 20, turn those toes every set
Weighted Back Extension : 3 sets of 15-20, squeeze at the top. I did a 25lb plate but you don't need to go ham on this to feel it I promise.
SUPERSET
Seated Calve Raise: 3 sets of 20, turning your toes every set
Have a great day!
Tristan
xox
Monday, November 10, 2014
But I don't Wanna Feel The Burn...
BUT EVERYONE needs to know the basics, what is happening in the body while you are working out, and why you feel the way you do while you are pushing your body to the limit. Today in class I mentioned the term lactic acid and half of you looked on me like I was on crack. I realize a lot of you know you "should be" feeling the burn but don;t quite understand "why". Let's go over this one today! I'll keep it super simple so the next time I say "feel the burn" you'll not only know what I'm talking about, BUT you'll be excited about it!
Ok so the body needs energy to do ANYTHING. Even when we binge watch Netflix and "lay like broccoli" (<--- name that movie) our body is using energy. ENERGY has a little chemical party in our body and produces ATP (andenosine triphosphate). I probably spelled that wrong. Don't judge me. This ATP can be produced in (basically) 1 of 2 ways: aerobic (using oxygen, long runs) or anaerobic (not using oxygen, really short intense sprints or jumping).
Both of these systems tend to work at the same time, depending on what activity you are doing. Let's say you see a Zombie-Fire-breathing-Polar-bear 30 feet from you, initially you would sprint away like lighting (anaerobic) but then as you continue to run at a decent clip, your body would switch over to your aerobic energy system.
We get a limited reserve of anaerobic ATP (it's like 12 seconds worth) and a practically unlimited amount of aerobically produced ATP. Our body is amazing and uses a ton of different sources to keep the energy coming so we are always ready to go!
You will never run out of energy.
I don't want to hear that ever. Capish? Cool.
A by-product of this whole anaerobic energy expenditure thing is LACTIC ACID. Lactic acid is just another energy source in the body. It's always in there, moving around, and if cooked long enough can be turned into ATP as well, BUT we don't actually start feeling it until we are working out or doing something strenuous for a certain amount of time. The more we try to force that anaerobic system to work, the more the lactic acid accumulates, builds up, until your body can no longer process it and a burning sensation occurs. Yayyyyy! Mikey LIKES IT! This is not a bad thing! It's just that extra bit of coffee that spills out of your Peppermint Mocha after the Barista puts the lid on.
That little bit of spillage protects your muscle and is your body telling you you are burning carbs for energy. Ummm... yay.
The longer you work out for (in terms of months, years, etc), the longer you can go without feeling this burning sensation during workouts because you are training your muscles to become stronger and develop a higher resistance to the lactic acid. Eventually you learn how much further you can push yourself by feeling that burn and knowing what the intensity means for your body.
Keep pushing! If it doesn't challenge you, it doesn't change you, LITERALLY.
Tristan,
xo
Wednesday, November 5, 2014
Training Split Options For Every Athlete Level
"What's a training split?" you ask
Well, it doesn't involve bananas or gymnasts, I tell you whut!
(if you said that with an accent, +2 points)
A 'Training Split' simply means the body-parts you are going to be working on that day in the gym, usually referring to a pair of muscle groups ("back & bi's"). I've been getting a lot of questions lately regarding how often to LIFT and what to train and (how Loooong to train) to see results and because this is so incredibly different for everyone I am going to break it down into a few broad categories to help ya'll out!
Well lucky for you you can work the least amount of time (actual minutes per week) and see the most results. For the first 12-14 weeks of consistent training your muscles require less volume to get results than someone who's been at it longer then you. If you want to get into weights (because you are smart and you realize weight-lifting is legitimately the fountain of youth then (If you don't want to hire a trainer to teach you, duhhhhh) START BY TAKING A CLASS AT THE GYM. THIS IS THE BEST THING YOU CAN DO FOR YOURSELF IF YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU ARE DOING. SERIOUSLY. A good instructor will take you through almost every body part (FULL BODY WORKOUT) in a single class and help you work on proper form and learn how much weight is necessary for you to feel fatigue but not failure. No you will Not GET BULKY. Even when your instructor says "Go Heavy" at most you are lifting 12lbs! This is NOT "heavy" weight people. this is just "heavy for you". Know the difference. It takes a lot of food and work to get "bulky", believe me, I KNOW (have you seen my traps?).
My RX for you: Take a weight lifting or "sculpt" (that word makes me want to vomit, FYI) class 3x a week, space out these classes 1-2 days apart.
If you were to divide your exercise days into only working muscle groups that perform in the same manner, you can actually work them twice a week and gain strength and size without over-training because by the time you work your way around to that muscle group again you are ready to go! My preference (and what I tend to follow when strictly bodybuilding) is Chest/Shoulders/Tri's, Back/Bi's, Legs/Abs, Chest/Shoulders/Tri's, REST, Back, Legs! IF this feels like a lot of training, but you still want to try it, only train 4-5 days a week, just rotate out 1-2 splits a week. OR do one high rep day and one low rep day (my favorite).
Don't Be THIS GUY! MAKE a PLAN so you can develop a balanced body!!!
No matter what level you are at, you need to lift a minimum of 3x a week and your workouts should last no longer then (approx) an hour and ten minutes because the weight you are lifting and the energy you are expending should be HUGE, people! If you can work out for 2 hours you are not going heavy enough or you are on the juice! #nojudgment
Go KILL IT! AND put your weights back!!!
Your Trainer,
Tristan xo
Well, it doesn't involve bananas or gymnasts, I tell you whut!
(if you said that with an accent, +2 points)
A 'Training Split' simply means the body-parts you are going to be working on that day in the gym, usually referring to a pair of muscle groups ("back & bi's"). I've been getting a lot of questions lately regarding how often to LIFT and what to train and (how Loooong to train) to see results and because this is so incredibly different for everyone I am going to break it down into a few broad categories to help ya'll out!
The Beginner
Well lucky for you you can work the least amount of time (actual minutes per week) and see the most results. For the first 12-14 weeks of consistent training your muscles require less volume to get results than someone who's been at it longer then you. If you want to get into weights (because you are smart and you realize weight-lifting is legitimately the fountain of youth then (If you don't want to hire a trainer to teach you, duhhhhh) START BY TAKING A CLASS AT THE GYM. THIS IS THE BEST THING YOU CAN DO FOR YOURSELF IF YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU ARE DOING. SERIOUSLY. A good instructor will take you through almost every body part (FULL BODY WORKOUT) in a single class and help you work on proper form and learn how much weight is necessary for you to feel fatigue but not failure. No you will Not GET BULKY. Even when your instructor says "Go Heavy" at most you are lifting 12lbs! This is NOT "heavy" weight people. this is just "heavy for you". Know the difference. It takes a lot of food and work to get "bulky", believe me, I KNOW (have you seen my traps?).My RX for you: Take a weight lifting or "sculpt" (that word makes me want to vomit, FYI) class 3x a week, space out these classes 1-2 days apart.
The Intermediate
So you've been taking class or have worked with a trainer in the past. You know your stuff! Maybe you love class but you can't make it one day and have to go train on your own, then My RX for you is an 'Upper/Lower
Body Split' where you workout 4 days a week instead of 3, dividing your
gym time into one upper-body muscle group day and one lower-body muscle
group day. You can go work day-work day-rest day or train every other day. This keeps it easy because you will be able to monitor that
you are not only working or over working a specific muscle group an still be fresh enough to make it back to your favorite class!
The Advanced
The world is your oyster. You know what you are doing! Maybe you just need a way to streamline your workout schedule so that it's most effective! Well if you have already been doing the classic bodybuilding split (back/bi's, chest/tri's, Legs, Shoulders/Abs) then my suggestion is to play with the order just a bit so it's spliced to functional movements based around the planes of the body... you see every weight-lifting exercise is based off either 'pushing' 'pulling', 'lunging' or 'squatting'. If you ever take 'Chisel' with me or if you are a private client, this should ring a few bells. If you were to divide your exercise days into only working muscle groups that perform in the same manner, you can actually work them twice a week and gain strength and size without over-training because by the time you work your way around to that muscle group again you are ready to go! My preference (and what I tend to follow when strictly bodybuilding) is Chest/Shoulders/Tri's, Back/Bi's, Legs/Abs, Chest/Shoulders/Tri's, REST, Back, Legs! IF this feels like a lot of training, but you still want to try it, only train 4-5 days a week, just rotate out 1-2 splits a week. OR do one high rep day and one low rep day (my favorite).
No matter what level you are at, you need to lift a minimum of 3x a week and your workouts should last no longer then (approx) an hour and ten minutes because the weight you are lifting and the energy you are expending should be HUGE, people! If you can work out for 2 hours you are not going heavy enough or you are on the juice! #nojudgment
Go KILL IT! AND put your weights back!!!
Your Trainer,
Tristan xo
Saturday, November 1, 2014
Leg Day 11.01.14: (a.k.a. The noisiest workout a 24hr Fitness has Ever seen! #sorrynotsorry)
Jimminy Christmas it's freaken' November 1st! Where the heck did this year go? If you saw my Instagram post you know I kicked off November Irontristan style, with some much needed time "at the bar" this morning... and a few other places nearby a well...
Here's what went down...
Jump-rope warm up 200 reps or 2 minutes
Deep Squat 1 warm-up set just the bar 15 reps, 4 sets, 10 reps each, build up to max effort at last set ten reps (or 70% of MAX). I got comfy around 155lbs on my last set before my knee started talking back :(
Dead- Lift open op those hammies first with just one quick stiff-legged set, just the bar then get down deep. 4 sets of 10 (about 75% of MAX). I forgot what it's like to do these without bumper plates... yep. NOISY As HELL, just me. Look over here! NOT!
Stop starring at me swan. ugh.
But seriously though I LOVE DEADLIFTS. I don't even care that my shins feel like crap after. It's my favorite lift.
Hamstring Curl 4 sets of 10, slower on the negative, full range of motion
Quad Extension 4 sets 10, full range of motion, slight squeeze at the top, I hovered around 100lbs here, just enough to make me moan (that's what she said). Keep in mind the HAmstring is what is supporting that glute and the rest of the leg so if you want a balanced physique be mindful of the weight you are pushing with that quad and that the strength of this muscle is not completely greater or over-powering your hamstring strength or you are doing something wrong! I know we all want that Quad-sweep but come on now!
Standing Calf 3 sets 20 reps each, dropping those heels nice and deep then coming up quickly with a squeeze. 180 lbs (don't be impressed. machine was like air at 95lbs). Toes forward first set, turned out on second, turned in on third.
SUPER SET w/prone long-legged glute squeeze on bench 3 sets of 20 reps. IF you don;t know what this is, you probably actually do! You lay on a bench, face down, with your hips just off the edge. Spread out your legs, keep 'em straight and bring them up behind you with a glute squeeze... kind of like a 'Superman' but only with half your body. If you still don;t know what I'm talking about, let me know and I'll make a video.
Seated Calf Raise 20/15/15 same toe progression. I did two plates but probably should have done 1 to keep those reps up but as you know I'm just a big meathead so... rawr! more! weight! good!
ummm no
Ok so pretty basic workout here, but sometimes I'd rather go a little heavier, pace myself, and hit everything equally then use all my creative stuff. Just me?
Lift Heavy! Be Strong, not scared!
Tristan xo
Here's what went down...
Jump-rope warm up 200 reps or 2 minutes
Deep Squat 1 warm-up set just the bar 15 reps, 4 sets, 10 reps each, build up to max effort at last set ten reps (or 70% of MAX). I got comfy around 155lbs on my last set before my knee started talking back :(
Dead- Lift open op those hammies first with just one quick stiff-legged set, just the bar then get down deep. 4 sets of 10 (about 75% of MAX). I forgot what it's like to do these without bumper plates... yep. NOISY As HELL, just me. Look over here! NOT!
Stop starring at me swan. ugh.
But seriously though I LOVE DEADLIFTS. I don't even care that my shins feel like crap after. It's my favorite lift.
Hamstring Curl 4 sets of 10, slower on the negative, full range of motion
Quad Extension 4 sets 10, full range of motion, slight squeeze at the top, I hovered around 100lbs here, just enough to make me moan (that's what she said). Keep in mind the HAmstring is what is supporting that glute and the rest of the leg so if you want a balanced physique be mindful of the weight you are pushing with that quad and that the strength of this muscle is not completely greater or over-powering your hamstring strength or you are doing something wrong! I know we all want that Quad-sweep but come on now!
Standing Calf 3 sets 20 reps each, dropping those heels nice and deep then coming up quickly with a squeeze. 180 lbs (don't be impressed. machine was like air at 95lbs). Toes forward first set, turned out on second, turned in on third.
SUPER SET w/prone long-legged glute squeeze on bench 3 sets of 20 reps. IF you don;t know what this is, you probably actually do! You lay on a bench, face down, with your hips just off the edge. Spread out your legs, keep 'em straight and bring them up behind you with a glute squeeze... kind of like a 'Superman' but only with half your body. If you still don;t know what I'm talking about, let me know and I'll make a video.
Seated Calf Raise 20/15/15 same toe progression. I did two plates but probably should have done 1 to keep those reps up but as you know I'm just a big meathead so... rawr! more! weight! good!
ummm no
Ok so pretty basic workout here, but sometimes I'd rather go a little heavier, pace myself, and hit everything equally then use all my creative stuff. Just me?
Lift Heavy! Be Strong, not scared!
Tristan xo
Tuesday, October 28, 2014
BREAKFAST: It's What's For Breakfast
Did my title make you giggle? I'm in one of those moods today.
Maybe you already see where I'm going with this...?
Regardless, let me break it down for you!
(Can I get a beat? Just teasing)
I get asked about what I eat or what I have clients eat all the time and because I believe in customization of nutrition to the 100th power I can hardly ever answer this question to the degree in which I feel appropriate. THIS IS A FREAKING HUGE QUESTION PEOPLE!
BUT what I can say is 'Meal timing', just as much as the "what", plays a huge part in you reaching your health and fitness goals.
TODAY I am going to focus on Meal timing specifically concerning breakfast since a lot of you are confused on what breakfast actually is and why it's SO important.
Never fear, Irontristan is here & I got you boo ;)
Something I hear over and over again from clients when they are first starting out is that they don't eat breakfast. I proceed to tell them about 'The Sumo Wrestler Diet" (because it's my favorite anecdote of all time as I know you've probably heard me say it like 5 million times by now but I can't help myself...)
"Hey new client who's life I'm about to change, Do YOU know why they call "skipping breakfast" 'The Sumo-Wrestler Diet'? ...because skipping breakfast is an old technique used to help Sumo-Wrestlers gain weight."
Cue light bulb here. Or Scooby-Doo noise... aw-whoo?
It has been proven that skipping breakfast leads not only to more calories being consumed throughout the day, more so then if you had eaten breakfast plus all those other good meals, but it directly influences the type of nutrients you crave and ingest! Maybe as humans we think we have permission to eat more and think we "earned" more food or bad food at a later meal? My personal theory is that you can't make an educated decision by the time you actually get hungry about what to eat so you just say f-t and eat everything or something really bad! I know you women who go all day without eating and then hit 'happy hour' know what I'm talking about... it's probably a combo of these two things. Just please know that your brain runs on energy and energy is food so if you want your brain to work so you can be productive and make good choices, then f-ing eat food. And that starts with breakfast!!!
(Deep breath Haller)
O.K. So second of all, if my terrifying sumo wrestler story wasn't enough, let's just look at the word for what it is... Break-fast. To break your fasting state of being. The body has very different metabolic needs at different times of day and under differing circumstances. Upon waking, your body is needing energy (nutrients... food... wakey wakey eggs n' bakey steeze). You see, when you sleep your body is forced into a metabolic state of rest for up to 12 hours. Maybe you are not physically asleep for all 12 hours but you just laying there pre "nigh-nigh" time, stimulates your brain and body into a relaxed state, preparing to slow everything down so it can begin repairing the cellular damage you did that day.
During this time:
1. Carbohydrate energy reserves (glycogen) are low.
2. Muscles are in a mild catabolic (muscle-wasting) state.
3. Fat stores are also slowly being mobilized and burned. <--- this one's my favorite ovs
So your goal upon waking should be to:
1. Halt muscle catabolism.
2. Support ongoing fat metabolism.
3. Replenish glycogen reserves.
duh?
Right??
Good!
Now what you eat to accomplish at this time again comes back to what your goals are. You definitely want to have some type of fast-absorbing protein to halt the mildly catabolic state your muscle are in and to kick-start your metabolism, but as you have learned from previous GymKitten posts, Protein is good on it's own but works best when combined with either fat or carbs (or both)!
Those carbs can be both simple and complex (again, depending on your goal.... I hope that one little part I'm making pretty clear here!)
Let me give you a few examples of some of of my 'break-fast' meals...
If I'm eating clean and in contest prep (and I'm in a state of pre-workout) I'll probably have a medium serving of egg whites, medium serving of oats and a small serving of nuts or nut butter.
If I'm coming off prep and trying to reset my hormones in a state of KETO or HFLC I'll probably have 2 whole eggs, a serving of bacon and 1/4th an avocado or full fat cheese.
If I'm post-workout/fasted state I'll probably have a homemade berry/kale/protein smoothie.
If I'm pre-workout/semi-fasted state I'll probably have a protein shake, black coffee, and half a grapefruit with perhaps some wheat-germ and flax seed.
Whatever you eat, eat real food (I'm talkin' to you guy dressed as the Sun in the Jimmy Dean breakfast commercials. smh)
I think the other important factor in meal time & breakfast is understanding your body will adapt to whatever systems you put in place (aside form having a digestive disease or intolerance of some kind) so if you are always working out at night because that's when you feel best, but WANT to workout in the morning, play with your nutrition to get your body moving WHEN YOU SAY SO! And you'll be surprised to find out after about 8 days of this you'll be hungry when you wake up!
REMEMBER: FAT is good PRE WORKOUT, NOT POST, as demonstrated in my previous examples.
Hope this helps,
I'm always here for you! We're in this together!
xoxo,
Your Trainer,
Tristan
Maybe you already see where I'm going with this...?
Regardless, let me break it down for you!
(Can I get a beat? Just teasing)
I get asked about what I eat or what I have clients eat all the time and because I believe in customization of nutrition to the 100th power I can hardly ever answer this question to the degree in which I feel appropriate. THIS IS A FREAKING HUGE QUESTION PEOPLE!
BUT what I can say is 'Meal timing', just as much as the "what", plays a huge part in you reaching your health and fitness goals.
TODAY I am going to focus on Meal timing specifically concerning breakfast since a lot of you are confused on what breakfast actually is and why it's SO important.
Never fear, Irontristan is here & I got you boo ;)
Something I hear over and over again from clients when they are first starting out is that they don't eat breakfast. I proceed to tell them about 'The Sumo Wrestler Diet" (because it's my favorite anecdote of all time as I know you've probably heard me say it like 5 million times by now but I can't help myself...)
"Hey new client who's life I'm about to change, Do YOU know why they call "skipping breakfast" 'The Sumo-Wrestler Diet'? ...because skipping breakfast is an old technique used to help Sumo-Wrestlers gain weight."
Cue light bulb here. Or Scooby-Doo noise... aw-whoo?
It has been proven that skipping breakfast leads not only to more calories being consumed throughout the day, more so then if you had eaten breakfast plus all those other good meals, but it directly influences the type of nutrients you crave and ingest! Maybe as humans we think we have permission to eat more and think we "earned" more food or bad food at a later meal? My personal theory is that you can't make an educated decision by the time you actually get hungry about what to eat so you just say f-t and eat everything or something really bad! I know you women who go all day without eating and then hit 'happy hour' know what I'm talking about... it's probably a combo of these two things. Just please know that your brain runs on energy and energy is food so if you want your brain to work so you can be productive and make good choices, then f-ing eat food. And that starts with breakfast!!!
(Deep breath Haller)
O.K. So second of all, if my terrifying sumo wrestler story wasn't enough, let's just look at the word for what it is... Break-fast. To break your fasting state of being. The body has very different metabolic needs at different times of day and under differing circumstances. Upon waking, your body is needing energy (nutrients... food... wakey wakey eggs n' bakey steeze). You see, when you sleep your body is forced into a metabolic state of rest for up to 12 hours. Maybe you are not physically asleep for all 12 hours but you just laying there pre "nigh-nigh" time, stimulates your brain and body into a relaxed state, preparing to slow everything down so it can begin repairing the cellular damage you did that day.
During this time:
1. Carbohydrate energy reserves (glycogen) are low.
2. Muscles are in a mild catabolic (muscle-wasting) state.
3. Fat stores are also slowly being mobilized and burned. <--- this one's my favorite ovs
1. Halt muscle catabolism.
2. Support ongoing fat metabolism.
3. Replenish glycogen reserves.
duh?
Right??
Good!
Now what you eat to accomplish at this time again comes back to what your goals are. You definitely want to have some type of fast-absorbing protein to halt the mildly catabolic state your muscle are in and to kick-start your metabolism, but as you have learned from previous GymKitten posts, Protein is good on it's own but works best when combined with either fat or carbs (or both)!
Those carbs can be both simple and complex (again, depending on your goal.... I hope that one little part I'm making pretty clear here!)
Let me give you a few examples of some of of my 'break-fast' meals...
If I'm eating clean and in contest prep (and I'm in a state of pre-workout) I'll probably have a medium serving of egg whites, medium serving of oats and a small serving of nuts or nut butter.
If I'm coming off prep and trying to reset my hormones in a state of KETO or HFLC I'll probably have 2 whole eggs, a serving of bacon and 1/4th an avocado or full fat cheese.
If I'm post-workout/fasted state I'll probably have a homemade berry/kale/protein smoothie.
If I'm pre-workout/semi-fasted state I'll probably have a protein shake, black coffee, and half a grapefruit with perhaps some wheat-germ and flax seed.
Whatever you eat, eat real food (I'm talkin' to you guy dressed as the Sun in the Jimmy Dean breakfast commercials. smh)
I think the other important factor in meal time & breakfast is understanding your body will adapt to whatever systems you put in place (aside form having a digestive disease or intolerance of some kind) so if you are always working out at night because that's when you feel best, but WANT to workout in the morning, play with your nutrition to get your body moving WHEN YOU SAY SO! And you'll be surprised to find out after about 8 days of this you'll be hungry when you wake up!
REMEMBER: FAT is good PRE WORKOUT, NOT POST, as demonstrated in my previous examples.
Hope this helps,
I'm always here for you! We're in this together!
xoxo,
Your Trainer,
Tristan
Thursday, July 24, 2014
Eat Fat to Lose Fat? I'm SO Down!: The TRUTH about KETO
Eat Fat to lose fat? Don't give me that look...
For the last 3 weeks, even while on a recent girls trip to Vegas (where I drank ungodly amounts of vodka, don't judge it's been like 7 years since I had a "girls trip"! #yolo), I have been following a (mostly) ketogenic diet. A real ketogenic diet is a low carb diet comprised of 70-80% of fat. Yep, Fat! Butter, Bacon, avacado, salmon, Macadamia Oil, sausage, coconut! Other people think "Paleo" or "Atkins" are ketogenic diets but they are not so don't be fooled! These are essentially low-carb diets but they are NOT THE Ketogenic Diet. I was pretty "low carb" before (even when I had my cheats I never really ate white flour anything!) so I never suffered from "carb flu" when I started the diet as so many people do. It was the upping of my fats and the slight reduction in fruits and veggies that perplexed me. I had always eaten a ton of veggies at every meal because this is what works but now that my body was being super insulin resistant I had to rethink EVERYTHING!
You see (and I am literally explaining this in the simplest way possible) by eating more fat then any other macro nutrient, and severely limiting carb intake (for most it's 25 grams or less), after a couple of days your body goes into a state of ketosis (meaning it starts using energy from ketone bodies in the blood, instead of glycolysis - where blood glucose provides most of the energy). SO basically your body is using fat as energy instead of carbs and you pee out the excess ketones/calories of fat (which science estimates to only be about 100 calories at most so don't get too excited).
But it's still pretty cool, right?!?! #sciencerocks
Now about a month before I decided to try this I had been on a pretty strict clean-eating plan. I was eating clean (about 1400-1600 calories daily, my macros were high protein, low fat, low carbs) with 1 cheat meal every 2 weeks or not at all, lifting heavy for an hour or more 5-6 days a week, and doing cardio, at least 40 minutes 3-4x a week plus teaching classes. Keep in mind, this is my OFF SEASON! I had been playing around with the idea of competing again and wanted to see If I could even get my body to "move" because if I wasn't healthy enough to drop weight, competing again would be out of the question. My strength continued to improve and the scale dropped a bit but for the energy I was putting into it, and for feeling deprived all the time, I just knew something was still going on in my body health-wise that was preventing me from getting the results of "a normal person". A LOT of people underestimate the importance of hormone health in relation to weight loss and let me tell you IT IS EVERYTHING!
I REPEAT, HORMONE HEALTH IS 100% RESPONSIBLE FOR YOU HITTING YOUR WEIGHT-LOSS GOALS!
On this plan I (you may call me Dr. Frankenstein) have created for myself I am eating 600-800 more calories per day then I was before and working out MAX 5x a week for about an hour (EITHER cardio - ok I haven't done like any cardio lately, or lifting (umm always), not both, ONE OR THE OTHER), AND MY stubborn-ass BODY IS CHANGING, the weird fat pocket areas are slowly diminishing, even with occasional ALCOHOL! Hey #IIFYM!
(That's "if it fits your Macros" btw)
(Side-note: Before, due to all this cortisol storage - residual effects of coming off that tumultuous comp season, I was storing fat in places I had never stored fat before, and as someone who is known for wearing itty bitty bikinis, imagine how this affected my self-confidence! HOW could I possibly inspire others when I was feeling so down all the time?!)
My strength is great, I HAVE ENERGY AGAIN AND I SUFFER ZERO HYPOGLYCEMIA SYMPTOMS, which were f-ing awful, let me tell you. My skin looks better and MORE SO THEN ANYTHING ELSE, I don't feel super deprived and miserable, because my body is getting the fat it needs to stay satiated.
The negatives of this diet are that people who don't have a strong grasp on nutrition often:
1.) eat too little or don't follow a plan so when they go off of the diet they gain all their weight back times 2! Your goals for this diet should be more about healing then weight-loss. Weight-loss is a side-effect of the diet but it is not it's main purpose. Also the first 4-10 lbs none-athletes or seasoned "worker-outers" lose are just water anyway. Athletes who go on this diet often see body composition changes then #'s in the scale dropping.
2.) eat too much protein (WHICH ACTUALLY TURNS TO SUGAR IN THE BODY IF NOT "USED", I know, shocking! again #sciencerules) so they don't go into ketosis
3.) eat too much fat and they don't get any results or wind up actually putting on weight.
4.) leave out all the other stuff from their diet that makes it "healthy" like the supplements and natural probiotics in food sources.
The truth is having a specific plan is essential to your success on a ketogenic diet. It is still a diet, so you can't go bonkers, there is a science to it! Also this diet is NOT for everyone. It is hard to do long term unless you are severely insulin resistant (like me) or suffer form any of the things I mentioned. If this is not you, EAT CLEAN, shut up, and get to work!
Another negative to "keto" is that YOU CAN NOT HAVE CHEAT MEALS OR REFEEDS ON A KETOGNIC DIET BECAUSE YOU WILL SLIP OUT OF KETOSIS AS SOON AS YOUR CARBS/SUGAR GO UP. Sad Face. (But if this is the right diet for you, you won't even miss it, it's weird.)
The truth is ALL DIETS work to some degree, if they didn't millions of people would not write books, sell books, or lose weight! It's ALL about finding the right diet for you, your lifestyle, and your health and fitness goals. Will a male bodybuilder who is trying to bulk in his off season have much success with his goals on the ketogenic diet? Ummm probably not, if for no other reason then he would have to eat SO MUCH FREAKEN FOOD, it would be ridiculous! Only you know if you suffer from insulin resistance and only then would I recommend this diet for you! DO I think I'll be doing this for much longer? It kind of all depends if I keep feeling awesome or not. If I compete again, I will prep with my normal clean eating plan unless I'm feeling extra experimental, lol. (Actually, keto has been used on the take end of most preps for many competitors to some degree.)
I have come to a place where I strongly believe there is more than one way to skin a cat, if you catch my drift. It's all about finding what will work best for an individual and to continue to learn, and in my case be a human Guinea pig, so that I can get the answers and continue helping people reach there fitness goals, estrogen dominance or hypoglycemia be dammed!
OK my little kittens,
If you would like more information on how to implement a ketogenic diet in your life or for nutritional coaching (keto or clean-eating), email me at faceoffitness@gmail.com
Eat fat to lose fat? Sources say: YES! If done correctly and with proper guidance!
Be happy!
Your Trainer,
Tristan
Tuesday, April 15, 2014
P.S. I am a Fighter #duh
So if you are keeping up with me and 'Thyroid-gate' you know I have been dealing with some terribly interesting health issues. I previously shared with you that about 3 weeks after Nationals last year I found out my thyroid was extremely low functioning and my body was cannibalizing muscle instead of using fat as an energy source. Well additional testing showed I had no/extremely low hormone production (estrogen, progesterone, prenegalone what's that?!), no adrenal gland function, plus the recent discovery that I'm hypoglycemic and well, yea... I'm a mess! I was fighting constant fatigue and the loss of energy or WANT to work-out plus onset weight gain! This caused me to sink into this bubble of anxiety and depression! Yuck!
Even though I could still pack a class FULL and had a full roster of clients, I just didn't feel "good enough". I was comparing myself to other competitors or trainers who kept their svelte figure year round, judging myself for my suddenly robust shape. It didn't matter to me that I was still strong as hell or fast or had amazing endurance or that my body had just gone rogue! I wasn't a size I liked.
Really Tristan, Really? You f*#$i&G HYPOCRITE!
Despite my loved ones reassuring me that it didn't matter, that my work for others spoke for itself, to ME it did matter! I knew If I had seen me 2 months post contest I would have thought WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO HER?! Sad face. As a relatively introspective individual I know others weren't constant judging me but as long as I was judging myself it felt like the whole world was as well.
For someone who leads a ridiculously clean lifestyle and loves fitness I was at a loss as to why or how this had "happened" to me. Well, after seeking professional help and taking a $1000 worth of (additional) blood-work and discovering all these other things that were going on with me aside from the whole Thyroid thing, it became perfectly clear by combing through my family medical history, that I was genetically predisposed to ALL of the things I had been diagnosed with, they had just hit my body all at the same time! Yes these things had been aggrivated and magnified by my extreme training and dieting but it was not the cause of them. It wasn't that competing had "done" this to me, it was that through pushing my body to the absolute limit during the same three years that my body was going through a very big change, I had created a perfect storm in my body ( a shit storm more like)! Welcome to your early 30's Tristan. Gee, thanks.
So I got to work right away. Not only did I continue to work with an amazing homeopathic Doctor but I sought out someone I trust to oversee my road back to training and to help control my low blood sugar issues. I got to work healing my body with supplements ranging from selenium to Guggul! I cut my working out down to lifting weights 2-3x a week and cardio 2-3x a week. Was I going to lose weight on this regimen? Hell no! But the plan was to improve my health, not get my tiny ass back.
R.I.P. Tiny Ass.
I'm currently into the middle of my 5th month post-contest and diagnosis. My energy has increased dramatically. I have my strength back and I'm back to bodybuilding, actively putting on muscle while healing my body through food and supplementation. I look forward to competing again and am thankful to have learned why this happened and not have to blame it on my passion.
I've ALWAYS been on the other side of this. I've always had to use my brain and my experience to heal others... high blood pressure, hypothyroidism, severe spinal injuries, you name it! That's why when I get someone who merely wants to lose weight or "get toned" it's a cake walk! Being on this side of things has sunk me deeper into my passion for helping and healing others. It has forced me to further not only my education (studying this stuff is a full time job in its own!) but deepen my compassion for my clients who lose control of their own bodies. This sucks. It is hard, but there is hope in the science it takes to heal thyself.
God doesn't give us anything we can't handle.
Everything happens for a reason.
I'm on my way. I still have a lot to learn as far as "loving myself" no matter what size 'Lulu's I'm in, but as a woman that may be something I'm dealing with for quite some time. The point is the Universe keeps sending me the same message over and over again: I AM A FIGHTER INSIDE AND OUT AND NO MATTER WHAT THE OBSTACLE, I WILL FIGURE OUT A WAY TO POWER THROUGH IT. This realization is a gift. Fighting is exhausting but I'd rather be a fighter then a 'Taker' OR a 'sit-around-and-wait-er'! Wouldn't you?
Don't lose hope in your own journey. Create a plan to get yourself where you want to be. Create a team of loved ones and professionals who will help you hit all all your goals. You hire someone to do your taxes or handle your money, why wouldn't you hire someone to handle your body?
Keep pushing,
Your Trainer Tristan
xo
Even though I could still pack a class FULL and had a full roster of clients, I just didn't feel "good enough". I was comparing myself to other competitors or trainers who kept their svelte figure year round, judging myself for my suddenly robust shape. It didn't matter to me that I was still strong as hell or fast or had amazing endurance or that my body had just gone rogue! I wasn't a size I liked.
Really Tristan, Really? You f*#$i&G HYPOCRITE!
Despite my loved ones reassuring me that it didn't matter, that my work for others spoke for itself, to ME it did matter! I knew If I had seen me 2 months post contest I would have thought WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO HER?! Sad face. As a relatively introspective individual I know others weren't constant judging me but as long as I was judging myself it felt like the whole world was as well.
For someone who leads a ridiculously clean lifestyle and loves fitness I was at a loss as to why or how this had "happened" to me. Well, after seeking professional help and taking a $1000 worth of (additional) blood-work and discovering all these other things that were going on with me aside from the whole Thyroid thing, it became perfectly clear by combing through my family medical history, that I was genetically predisposed to ALL of the things I had been diagnosed with, they had just hit my body all at the same time! Yes these things had been aggrivated and magnified by my extreme training and dieting but it was not the cause of them. It wasn't that competing had "done" this to me, it was that through pushing my body to the absolute limit during the same three years that my body was going through a very big change, I had created a perfect storm in my body ( a shit storm more like)! Welcome to your early 30's Tristan. Gee, thanks.
So I got to work right away. Not only did I continue to work with an amazing homeopathic Doctor but I sought out someone I trust to oversee my road back to training and to help control my low blood sugar issues. I got to work healing my body with supplements ranging from selenium to Guggul! I cut my working out down to lifting weights 2-3x a week and cardio 2-3x a week. Was I going to lose weight on this regimen? Hell no! But the plan was to improve my health, not get my tiny ass back.
R.I.P. Tiny Ass.
I'm currently into the middle of my 5th month post-contest and diagnosis. My energy has increased dramatically. I have my strength back and I'm back to bodybuilding, actively putting on muscle while healing my body through food and supplementation. I look forward to competing again and am thankful to have learned why this happened and not have to blame it on my passion.
I've ALWAYS been on the other side of this. I've always had to use my brain and my experience to heal others... high blood pressure, hypothyroidism, severe spinal injuries, you name it! That's why when I get someone who merely wants to lose weight or "get toned" it's a cake walk! Being on this side of things has sunk me deeper into my passion for helping and healing others. It has forced me to further not only my education (studying this stuff is a full time job in its own!) but deepen my compassion for my clients who lose control of their own bodies. This sucks. It is hard, but there is hope in the science it takes to heal thyself.
God doesn't give us anything we can't handle.
Everything happens for a reason.
I'm on my way. I still have a lot to learn as far as "loving myself" no matter what size 'Lulu's I'm in, but as a woman that may be something I'm dealing with for quite some time. The point is the Universe keeps sending me the same message over and over again: I AM A FIGHTER INSIDE AND OUT AND NO MATTER WHAT THE OBSTACLE, I WILL FIGURE OUT A WAY TO POWER THROUGH IT. This realization is a gift. Fighting is exhausting but I'd rather be a fighter then a 'Taker' OR a 'sit-around-and-wait-er'! Wouldn't you?
Keep pushing,
Your Trainer Tristan
xo
Thursday, January 30, 2014
"Wow! She got BIG!" Confessions of Post-Contest Weight Gain (and Metobolic Damage)
My body is betraying me.
I am Tom Cruise in 'Mission Impossible' and my body is that chick he thought was on his side but then tries to kill him.
When I came off my last competition in November I was determined to only gain the appropriate amount of weight: 10-15 lbs, the fat I needed to maintain my monthly cycle and not feel like a crazy person. I knew I wasn't going to have 6-pack for a while but 'saddlebags': No f-ing way!
Two days after my competition I was back in the gym, running and lifting and instead of binging 24/7 I ate one larger meal a day but stuck with healthy choices. When I got home, already feeling restless, I set a new goal of running my first half-marathon and began an intense lifting schedule with some new workout partners, determined to put some muscle on while I was "off". Around Christmas my life was bombarded with cookies and cakes and I did indulge but I actually felt more balanced then I had in the last 3 years. I was getting that "oh you've gained weight" look from people but I kept hearing myself say "Yea, I feel like I am more balanced now then ever before!" Because truthfully my MIND was in the game! But something wasn't sitting right despite all of my "balanced" actions.
I began feeling more and more depressed. I kept gaining weight.
So of course I did what any girl does when her life feels off and died my hair bright red (Didn't really help matters, lasted about 2 weeks). My scalp was dry and flaky as was the rest of my skin. I felt lethargic but no more so then I had been when competing. No matter how much I dialed in my macros, how many miles I ran, or many times I hit the weights it was almost as if someone was blowing air into my lower stomach, ass and upper thighs. I was hard as a rock but with this puffy layer all over my body! And sex drive... what's that?
Something was wrong with me (YOU DON'T SAY?). I had sort of felt this at the beginning of the year before my first competition and in the middle of the year when I took a 6 week brake but I had chocked it up to "not working hard enough" and spent 11 months killing myself to get into shape before every competition. I always refused to believe, even when I STRONGLY suspected, that anything was wrong with me internally. I was an athlete! I was more fit then anyone I know! Me? Naaaaaah WORK HARDER HALLER!
I went to get my blood drawn and waited with baited breath for 5 days to get the results...
I knew it was my Thyroid because I deal with this on a daily basis with clients (and My Mother has thyroid issues as well and I know that there is genetic linkage) and while I wanted to be diagnosed with something so I could have ANSWERS, the idea of being on medication for the rest of my life does not sit well with me. I also knew that metabolic damage was very common amongst competitors and for the amount of competing I did over the last 3 years I should expect some recourse. Sad face.
In short, according to the results: My thyroid function is as low as you can get WITHOUT being considered hypo. I'm just extremely low functioning. As someone who was high-functioning before, this sucks balls, but also answers a lot of questions (stay positive Haller).
Also my body is showing something that they only see in elderly people. Basically I'm not shedding a certain nutrient/cell and my body is using my muscles for fuel (YES, I'm sure all this running is really helping THAT problem. Sigh).
WHERE DOES THAT LEAVE ME, YOU ASK?
So I'm not going to necessarily be at my ideal body weight or composition for a while.
Whatever! My main focus is on my health! I can still run circles and out lift you! JUST TRY ME!
AND because I'm technically on the low end of "normal" I can't get medicated to fix this problem immediately. This journey might be a long one. WHATEVER! THIS IS MY JOB. I'LL FIGURE THIS OUT AND BE BETTER BECAUSE OF IT!
The Endocrinologist confirmed that, in general, it takes at least 90 days for your body to regulate and return to normal (whatever that is for you). On February 23 it will have been 90 days since I competed. So until then I've put myself on a full Thyroid holistic supplement program (that I've designed myself), cut my workouts down so that my body won't calibrate to the higher expenditure and can use this time to actually recover as much as possible, and am working on loving myself no matter what my size is (as long as I'm fit and inspiring others to get fit, it's ok if I'm not a Size 2 for a few months of my life. Get over it Haller.)
I'm confident that if I stay the course, when I get new labs done in 30 days I will see definite improvements and be back on my way to the high end of "Normal".
As somebody who both competes and trains competitors I think the main message I want to get across here is LISTEN TO YOUR BODY AND IF SOMETHING SEEMS OFF, INVESTIGATE!
And Secondly, while metabolic damage is extremely common post competition it doesn't have to be this way especially if you do your diligence and have a post-comp plan. Don't just sign up with your coach or trainer up to the date of your competition. Sign up for a few weeks after so you can control your body and mind after (because your mind alone will give you permission to do some crazy $h!7 post contest!).
When it comes to my clients who want to compete I treat their bodies better then I treat my own by far. It's sad but true. I put my kid-gloves on and make sure they are getting as much food as humanly possible, getting their cheat meals and re-feeds in, and doing as little cardio as possible to healthfully reach their goal. When I'm in contest prep I will cry every day sometimes because of how challenging it is or how tired I am or how hungry I am, my only escape being when I am training my clients and I get to focus on their goals instead of my own. I feel why my prep is so hard is in part, because like most successful competitors who are NOT naturally lean muscular people, I have to beat myself up to hit my goal.
We are our own worst enemy.
I am very conscious of EXACTLY what my competitor is up to because it's my worst fear that I will cause anyones body unneeded duress. But this is what competing is: welcoming stress into your life and into your body for 12 - 16 weeks!
However, I strongly believe that if you reverse diet slowly enough, with the guidance of a good coach, you will never have to deal with these things. I've seen this work successfully many times but YOU HAVE TO STAY THE COURSE AND TRUST THE PROCESS MUCH LIKE YOU DID WHEN YOU WERE PRE-CONTEST.
Unfortunately, it is also my experience that the people who are most drawn to competing are people like me. We are naturally VERY curvy girls who have to work exceptionally hard to get their body to "stage standards". Because of this it's sooo important that the person you chose to work with has every intention to not just take you to the stage but to help you COME BACK DOWN after the bright lights and spray tan fades away.
My mistake was doing too much too fast and pushing my body past the point of healthy (3 years of competing with very few brakes will do this to you. I fell in love with competing and challenging my body on an almost inhuman level. My bad).
I might spend the rest of my life searching for my purple Unicorn (a.k.a balance) but I hope I'm inspiring others to do the same instead of seeing this strange ideal of perfection. We need to seek optimal health, not a # on a scale or a certain pant size. That will come!!!
I also hope you continue to follow me as we figure this out together. Next post I'm sure I'll be bringing you good news about how I healed my thyroid holistically!
Thoughts become things and anything worth having is worth fighting for.
We are in this together,
All my love
Your Trainer T
I am Tom Cruise in 'Mission Impossible' and my body is that chick he thought was on his side but then tries to kill him.
When I came off my last competition in November I was determined to only gain the appropriate amount of weight: 10-15 lbs, the fat I needed to maintain my monthly cycle and not feel like a crazy person. I knew I wasn't going to have 6-pack for a while but 'saddlebags': No f-ing way!
Two days after my competition I was back in the gym, running and lifting and instead of binging 24/7 I ate one larger meal a day but stuck with healthy choices. When I got home, already feeling restless, I set a new goal of running my first half-marathon and began an intense lifting schedule with some new workout partners, determined to put some muscle on while I was "off". Around Christmas my life was bombarded with cookies and cakes and I did indulge but I actually felt more balanced then I had in the last 3 years. I was getting that "oh you've gained weight" look from people but I kept hearing myself say "Yea, I feel like I am more balanced now then ever before!" Because truthfully my MIND was in the game! But something wasn't sitting right despite all of my "balanced" actions.
So of course I did what any girl does when her life feels off and died my hair bright red (Didn't really help matters, lasted about 2 weeks). My scalp was dry and flaky as was the rest of my skin. I felt lethargic but no more so then I had been when competing. No matter how much I dialed in my macros, how many miles I ran, or many times I hit the weights it was almost as if someone was blowing air into my lower stomach, ass and upper thighs. I was hard as a rock but with this puffy layer all over my body! And sex drive... what's that?
Something was wrong with me (YOU DON'T SAY?). I had sort of felt this at the beginning of the year before my first competition and in the middle of the year when I took a 6 week brake but I had chocked it up to "not working hard enough" and spent 11 months killing myself to get into shape before every competition. I always refused to believe, even when I STRONGLY suspected, that anything was wrong with me internally. I was an athlete! I was more fit then anyone I know! Me? Naaaaaah WORK HARDER HALLER!
I went to get my blood drawn and waited with baited breath for 5 days to get the results...
I knew it was my Thyroid because I deal with this on a daily basis with clients (and My Mother has thyroid issues as well and I know that there is genetic linkage) and while I wanted to be diagnosed with something so I could have ANSWERS, the idea of being on medication for the rest of my life does not sit well with me. I also knew that metabolic damage was very common amongst competitors and for the amount of competing I did over the last 3 years I should expect some recourse. Sad face.
In short, according to the results: My thyroid function is as low as you can get WITHOUT being considered hypo. I'm just extremely low functioning. As someone who was high-functioning before, this sucks balls, but also answers a lot of questions (stay positive Haller).
Also my body is showing something that they only see in elderly people. Basically I'm not shedding a certain nutrient/cell and my body is using my muscles for fuel (YES, I'm sure all this running is really helping THAT problem. Sigh).
WHERE DOES THAT LEAVE ME, YOU ASK?
So I'm not going to necessarily be at my ideal body weight or composition for a while.
Whatever! My main focus is on my health! I can still run circles and out lift you! JUST TRY ME!
AND because I'm technically on the low end of "normal" I can't get medicated to fix this problem immediately. This journey might be a long one. WHATEVER! THIS IS MY JOB. I'LL FIGURE THIS OUT AND BE BETTER BECAUSE OF IT!
The Endocrinologist confirmed that, in general, it takes at least 90 days for your body to regulate and return to normal (whatever that is for you). On February 23 it will have been 90 days since I competed. So until then I've put myself on a full Thyroid holistic supplement program (that I've designed myself), cut my workouts down so that my body won't calibrate to the higher expenditure and can use this time to actually recover as much as possible, and am working on loving myself no matter what my size is (as long as I'm fit and inspiring others to get fit, it's ok if I'm not a Size 2 for a few months of my life. Get over it Haller.)
I'm confident that if I stay the course, when I get new labs done in 30 days I will see definite improvements and be back on my way to the high end of "Normal".
As somebody who both competes and trains competitors I think the main message I want to get across here is LISTEN TO YOUR BODY AND IF SOMETHING SEEMS OFF, INVESTIGATE!
And Secondly, while metabolic damage is extremely common post competition it doesn't have to be this way especially if you do your diligence and have a post-comp plan. Don't just sign up with your coach or trainer up to the date of your competition. Sign up for a few weeks after so you can control your body and mind after (because your mind alone will give you permission to do some crazy $h!7 post contest!).
When it comes to my clients who want to compete I treat their bodies better then I treat my own by far. It's sad but true. I put my kid-gloves on and make sure they are getting as much food as humanly possible, getting their cheat meals and re-feeds in, and doing as little cardio as possible to healthfully reach their goal. When I'm in contest prep I will cry every day sometimes because of how challenging it is or how tired I am or how hungry I am, my only escape being when I am training my clients and I get to focus on their goals instead of my own. I feel why my prep is so hard is in part, because like most successful competitors who are NOT naturally lean muscular people, I have to beat myself up to hit my goal.
We are our own worst enemy.
I am very conscious of EXACTLY what my competitor is up to because it's my worst fear that I will cause anyones body unneeded duress. But this is what competing is: welcoming stress into your life and into your body for 12 - 16 weeks!
However, I strongly believe that if you reverse diet slowly enough, with the guidance of a good coach, you will never have to deal with these things. I've seen this work successfully many times but YOU HAVE TO STAY THE COURSE AND TRUST THE PROCESS MUCH LIKE YOU DID WHEN YOU WERE PRE-CONTEST.
Unfortunately, it is also my experience that the people who are most drawn to competing are people like me. We are naturally VERY curvy girls who have to work exceptionally hard to get their body to "stage standards". Because of this it's sooo important that the person you chose to work with has every intention to not just take you to the stage but to help you COME BACK DOWN after the bright lights and spray tan fades away.
My mistake was doing too much too fast and pushing my body past the point of healthy (3 years of competing with very few brakes will do this to you. I fell in love with competing and challenging my body on an almost inhuman level. My bad).
I might spend the rest of my life searching for my purple Unicorn (a.k.a balance) but I hope I'm inspiring others to do the same instead of seeing this strange ideal of perfection. We need to seek optimal health, not a # on a scale or a certain pant size. That will come!!!
I also hope you continue to follow me as we figure this out together. Next post I'm sure I'll be bringing you good news about how I healed my thyroid holistically!
Thoughts become things and anything worth having is worth fighting for.
We are in this together,
All my love
Your Trainer T
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