Keep it simple stupid!
This is something we may have heard throughout our life, but it could not be more applicable to your fitness journey. How many of you have walked into a gym and notice individuals who are in just average shape trying to replicate something from the exorcist? It’s common to see somebody only feet away from the dumbbell rack doing kettlebell bicep curls on a bosu ball or somebody trying to duplicate a single arm row by standing on 2 boxes and taking up the entire smith machine. Gyms now are plagued by individuals trying to reinvent the wheel with some complex variation of an exercise that they saw on Instagram. What these individuals do not understand, is that oftentimes the exercises that have been tried and proven throughout history to deliver results are still around for a reason. The same thing goes for dieting and supplements. Individuals are looking for that magical new method of dieting, or that new revolutionary supplement that promises 20 lbs. of muscle in a week. I hate to burst your bubble, but nothing beats just plain old effort and applying it to what will give you the biggest return. It is crucial to determine in your fitness journey what will give you the greatest return for your investment. For example, say you are trying to develop your lower body and want it to grow overall. You can take the approach of just doing isolation exercises for each individual muscle in your lower body, or you can maximize your effort and do compound exercises like squats and leg presses and hit all these muscles at once. Same thing goes for dieting, if you are constantly focusing on hitting your macros, or shoving large amounts of food in you within a magical 6 or 8 hour window, you might be neglecting the more important aspects of your nutrition. Instead you could be focusing this energy on eating high quality nutrient dense foods every 3 hours and maximizing your anabolism. This is not to say that these other methods that have come throughout the last few years are bad, but you must not let them distract you from the more important things that you should be aiming to maximize. The things that have worked for bodybuilders and physique sculptors for over the last century still continue to be relevant today. Although you must find the specific things that work for you, you can use these standards as a guide to model your plan of attack from it. Not only can this be applied to your fitness journey, but it can be applied to any aspect of your life. When you begin to analyze a situation and see where your biggest effort will be reciprocated, you will begin to become more successful at the goals you set out for yourself. So next time you see some new revolutionary exercise that requires 3 benches in the gym and half of the dumbbell rack, ask yourself: what is the purpose of doing it this way? If you can find a legitimate answer that equals better results for you, then it does not hurt to try it. But, if you can yield the same if not better results with what has been tried and proven, then keep it simple stupid! The simpler you keep things, the less room for error there will be. Keep working relentlessly towards achieving your goals, and focus on the main objective, do not get lost in the details!
0 Comments
Recovery; the most underrated piece to the puzzle. Many trainees fail to understand that you get better when you recover; when we go to the gym and train, all we are doing is sending a signal to the body to get better, bigger, faster and stronger. The actual growth and progression doesn’t occur in the gym, it occurs when we are resting, when we are consuming nutrients, and when we are sleeping. One of the major aspects of muscular recovery is ensuring you are taking in enough protein, and specifically amino acids. The most important amino acid, leucine, is responsible for signalling the body to begin a process called protein synthesis, which essentially means your body will be recovering and repairing muscle tissue. Many companies have release amino acid products, and some of the most popular ones are branch chained amino acids. These 3 amino acids (leucine, valine and isoleucine) are the ones that have been proven to be most beneficial for muscle growth. BCAA’s have really gained popularity the last few decades as more studies come out showing the importance of them. In order to deliver superior results, companies not only will add just BCAA’s to their formula, they will also add other ingredients like citrulline and glutamine in order to further enhance results.
A very interesting ingredient that some companies will add are B vitamins. These vitamins are often misunderstood and most people don’t know what their role is in a BCAA recovery formula. But are they just added for no reason or do they serve a synergistic purpose? Facts Athletes and weightlifters who take BCAA’s will oftentimes drink them throughout the day in higher amounts than average. This will definitely help with overall recovery, but they often overlook a potential problem that can be very dangerous. BCAA’s actually deplete vitamin B stores when drank in higher amounts, thus B vitamin uptake must be increased when taking high amounts of BCAA’s. Adding B vitamins to your supplement stack will help with overall energy, as they are responsible for the metabolizing of proteins, carbohydrates and fats. Supplementing with B vitamins can make a substantial difference in somebody who has depleted B vitamin stores, which is often found in physique competitors. In many instances, it is common for them to eliminate grains and red meats from their diets, which are a very rich source of B vitamins. Studies have shown that B vitamin deficient individuals can develop anemia, muscle weakness, Alzheimer’s disease, and even heart disease. This is why it is imperative to ensure that you are ingesting enough B vitamins in your day. What if there was a BCAA formula that also had B vitamins in there to ensure that you are never depleted? Conclusion Taking a high amount of BCAA’s can be detrimental if you are not taking your needed supply of B vitamins. Seeking BCAA formulas that are also enriched with B vitamins will help you with energy and health ensuring your B vitamin stores are always saturated no matter how many times a day you choose to drink them. Make sure that you use your supplements wisely to maximize your results in the gym! The sound of German folk music, the taste of wurst with sauerkraut, and the endless steins overflowing with beer. This is the sight at the largest beer and travelling funfair festival in the world, which takes place in Munich, Germany. It is a very important part of Bavarian culture to celebrate Oktoberfest, and this fantastic tradition also has some very strong ties to Ontario. The city of Kitchener, whose former name is Berlin, has a very strong German culture. There is a large amount of German descendants in Kitchener, which is why the second largest Oktoberfest celebration around the world is held in this beautiful city in Ontario. Thousands of visitors come to enjoy and celebrate this very important part of German heritage, and in this fantastic time of year, the OPA also has the Oktoberfest Classic Natural bodybuilding show.
The Oktoberfest show has gone from debuting with 40 athletes at a high school gym, to being one of the largest natural shows in Ontario and encompassing the entire Oktoberfest festival into the event. Melissa Shadd, which is the promoter for the show, competed in the OPA for many years and is a very active member in the fitness community in Ontario. Her love for fitness drove her to bring natural bodybuilding to the Kitchener region where she resides. She found somebody else just as passionate about fitness as her, which was World Gym in Kitchener. These guys have been around for decades starting from a humble hole in the wall gym, to being one of the most hard-core gyms in the city. As the Miss Oktoberfest winner in 2003, Melissa had very strong ties with the festival, and she wanted to combine her love for Oktoberfest with her passion for natural bodybuilding. The show was held at Bingemans in Kitchener, which is the same venue where one of the largest Oktoberfest celebrations in the area takes place. This meant that athletes and spectators could celebrate Oktoberfest in the same venue as the show was finished. The amount of hard work and dedication that was seen at this show was admirable. The authentic Oktoberfest Stein that the overall winners received, was one of the most unique trophies ever seen at a bodybuilding show. The show started off with the fitness class, Jessica Zehr absolutely wowed the audience with her acrobatics and fantastic fitness routine. Soon after, Rob Deschamps came out with a classical posing routine to take the crown for classic men’s bodybuilding. In the end, the overall bodybuilding champion was Anthony Arthur. This man is known as a giant killer by many, as he is a lightweight, but has aesthetics, muscle bellies and conditioning that many can only dream of. As men’s physique went up, they all looked amazing, but one who stood out was Kaivan Shimi. This man swept the show with taking the physique teen, the physique junior, the physique medium, and the overall award. As the ladies started getting ready, Helen Piatkowski took the overall women’s physique award. Jessica Ritzman, a high level powerlifter who was doing her first competition, took the title of the overall figure winner along with the best poser award sponsored by The Crystal Suit. As for the overall bikini winner, Brooke Alexander displayed a great physique with the finest stage presence. This show was full of fantastic individuals who had put in a lot of hard work to display their masterpieces. It is always amazing hearing the various paths of life these athletes take and how it led them to the same stage. The companies sponsoring the show had samples and products for people to try, and there was even an Instagram page known as Kitchener Muscle there taking professional shots of athlete’s on a backdrop, free of charge. It is just absolutely amazing seeing how our fitness community comes together at OPA shows and has a fantastic time with old and new friends. The support from families, coaches and loved ones in the audience is something that is beautiful to see. Another great thing to see was the judge’s panel. These guys work so hard for hours making sure that every athlete is judged fairly and are there to help them. Even during the intermissions, the judges would walk around with the spectators visiting the booths, talking to the guests and even giving advice to the athletes getting off stage. Humility is one of the greatest human traits, and the Oktoberfest show was full of humble individuals who are just looking to improve and show that fitness and health is a great path to take! This show is so special and really stands out from the rest. Melissa Shadd herself said: “I think the biggest difference, is that this event is part of the Oktoberfest festival. We offer athletes an amazing goody bag every year and there are lots of things for their families to do, both before and after the event. They can go the pancake breakfast before the show, attend Oktoberfest events in between, and the best part is that athletes and sponsors rave about the show finals; they start at 3 PM. This gives athletes just enough time to grab lunch in between the show; however, the finals are over before7pm, so they can all go out the Oktoberfest after party. The party is held at an official Oktoberfest venue, as there is still plenty of time to celebrate and eat!” This show is definitely a great family event which finishes a little bit earlier and has many more fun activities that families can enjoy. This event, like all other OPA events, was a great success and a reminder of how much fitness is growing in Ontario and around the world. This show demonstrates how the love for fitness can bring so many people together including the OPA, Melissa Shadd, the judges, the athletes, the sponsors and anybody who came to support it. Make sure to keep your eye out for next year’s Oktoberfest show as this is an event you do not want to miss out on! |
Juan RojasWith the pursuit of achieving the best possible physique and helping hundreds of clients do the same, Juan Rojas has dedicated his life to finding the best strategies for transforming human bodies. Constant research, trial and error and continous education in the exercise physiology and nutrition field, Juan Rojas thrives off finding the most efficient ways to transform your body and live a happier and healthier lifestyle. Archives
January 2021
Categories |