Human Condition Fitness

Half-Marathon. Check.

The Condition — Sat, 04 May 2013 22:12:40 +0000

On April 14, 2013 in New York City, I competed (and completed!) my first half-marathon in 2 hours and 15 minutes. Not at all a bad effort for someone who barely trained for it, was suffering from a lack of sleep and a surplus of alcohol and it’s hangover — not a recommended, and indeed very foolish strategy I know. I did it, it was a little bit brutal but I’m non the less proud of myself and my friends with whom I competed.

A First Time Competitor and Trainer’s Journey.

The Condition — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 02:35:09 +0000

I had noticed Alison in the gym a number of times. She was hard to miss. She was one of the handful of girls who took her weight-training seriously. And it showed. She had great upper-body development with killer shoulders and back that put most of the boys in the weight room to shame. And then there was the accent — A Kiwi. A fellow down-underer. We had instant camaraderie.

I was fresh from my first round of competitions and eager to share the amazing experience with other like-minded female gym rats. I initially assumed that Alison was already competing. Why else would she be training so hard-core? I saw her in the gym almost every day. But once we got to talking she told me that she had never competed but had thought about it a lot. Another trainer in the past tried to get her into it but somehow it didn’t work out and left her more disillusioned than anything about the whole thing. She was carrying some extra weight, especially around her lower body but anyone with an eye for physiques could see she had a great base under there. She was very open and excited about the idea of competing but expressed concern about getting her legs lean and strong. She also didn’t know if she could do the diet. The diet is tough enough for anyone. But she had the extra challenge of being a chef. Day in and day out she made pasta and deserts.

After a minimum for encouragement she was all in to take on the challenge. I often tell people who are considering to compete to consider it well. It is one of the most challenging things anyone could ever do. It is all consuming. It takes a lot of time and crazy dedication. And it is expensive. But I always go on to say, it is also one of the most rewarding things I have ever done. I suggested a competition that was five months away — the IDFA’s Montreal Classic. It was the perfect time frame for her to build up some muscle mass and than strip away all the fat. I put her on a three phase training schedule. The first phase was a bulking period. This meant heavy sets, higher calorie intake and no cardio. The second phase was a in between period of super-sets and some cardio. And the third phase, my favorite, was cutting the up. This is arguably the toughest period – restricted calories with perfect marcos and lots of cardio. Alison took to the whole thing like a duck to water and, I think, exceeded both of our expectations.

I also drilled into her the importance of stage presence and confidence. The greatest piece of advice I ever received when I first started competing was that the person with the best physique doesn’t always win. The person who owns the stage with a combination of body and attitude does. The path wasn’t always smooth. A few months into it Alison ran into a wall. She was always tired, feeling down and wondering why the hell she was doing all this to herself. Gone was the girl who loved any challenge I could throw at her. I almost immediately thought she must have low iron. She got a blood test and I was proved right. She made an effort to eat more red meat, spinach and took some supplements. It didn’t take long for her to get back on track.

As the day approached Alison was ahead of schedule and was already ripped weeks before the competition. She had lost almost 20 pounds, more than I thought that she would have to. And the initial problem area of her legs proved to be one of her strong suits. She had developed an impressive set of quads.

Competition day. Five months of 6 days a week training, perfect nutrition and a limited social life were all coming to a head. She had her blinged out bikini, clear heels and I fake-tanned and oiled her up. Going into the competition I knew she had a great chance and was pretty certain she’d be walking away with a trophy. When we got there we learnt this was the biggest Montreal IDFA competition ever with more than 60 competitors across all fields. Alison was competing in the figure category, which was huge. I’d never seen so many figure competitors at any one competition ever. We were both taken back and a little nervous. But once everyone started getting into their bikinis backstage we regained some confidence. Alison was a threat to most of them. Though, we had to admit, she had some competition also. When the moment of truth came and Alison stepped on stage she proved a natural. She was beaming confidence and commanded attention with her amazing body which she displayed to its full advantage with a fantastic posing routine. For someone who had never been scantily clad in front of a crowd and feared it she killed it. I was so impressed and proud. She listened well to my constant ranting and tips about stage presence. They called out the top five in her class, and there she was. This alone is a major achievement. But it got better. She won third place and as predicted walked home with a trophy. The figure category is a muscular one, and it takes years and a lot of maturity to build up that much mass. Alison was a baby at 23 years old. First and second place had about 15 years on her. She did amazingly well and if she continues (I think she’s caught the competition bug and will be) she’s gonna be a force to be reckoned with.

As a first-time competition trainer I couldn’t have asked for a better client that Alison — So here’s to Alison and all her success to come.

The Virgin Diet Book Review

The Condition — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 11:03:23 +0000

I must make a confession. I have never had much of a weight-loss problem. After a decadent festive season I might put on 5 pounds, but I have always found it relatively easy to get it off again. I know, to most, this is an enviable problem to have.

In the fitness business weight-loss is our bread and butter. Practically everybody who comes to the gym or gets a trainer wants to lose some weight. Even though I am not a nutritionist, when I develop a work-out program for a new client, I always advise them that the greatest weight-loss results will come from tinkering with their diets, rather than training more. The truth is, people often lose weight with diet alone (though I don’t advise this as a long-term approach) but results will be extremely limited if you are killing it in the gym but have a crappy diet. Don’t get me wrong, we all need to work out for a gazillion different reasons, but when it comes to weight-loss, diet is the magic touch.
The problem I come across again and again is this: I have clients who seem to do doing everything right. They train hard with me so I know they are busting their balls in the gym. In terms of nutrition they record everything they eat, they might use an app like myfitnesspal to do so, and when I see their diets, I can’t fault them. They look perfect. On paper it might even look like they have a calorie deficit: they are taking in less calories than they are burning. But still, they are not losing any weight. WTF?
I recently read “The Virgin Diet” by JJ Virgin, CNS, CHFS, which might hold some answers. The basic argument of the book is that while you might not be outright allergic to particular foods you may have some kind of an intolerance unbeknownst to you that is causing your body all kinds of harm, and preventing you from losing weight. These foods might also be causing you to have bad digestion and trouble assimilating nutrients, be bloated, have acne, be fatigued and look older. JJ Virgin highlights seven high FI (food intolerant) groups that might be the root of all this evil. The bad guys are gluten, soy, dairy, corn, eggs, sugar and peanuts.
She proposes an initial 21 day cleanse, cold turkey, from these foods. The cover of the book promises “lose 7 pounds in 7 days” with more to come. Aside from weight-loss you can expect all sorts of other positive changes in your body and its functions. And if this all does happen, then the argument is there was something that you cut out that you should have cut a long time ago. For this reason, the second phase of the diet is a gradual reintroduction of the banned foods. One week you start consuming a bit of, say, gluten and see what happens. Can you indeed tolerate it or did you feel better without it? By phase three you should know what foods work for you and which do not and you will be able to adjust your life-long diet to fit. You might decide to keep all 7 FI foods out of your diet forever. Or you might find you are fine with eggs. Or, like the author for example, , only fine with organic, free-range eggs. You might decide to keep most of the 7 FI food out most of the time, allowing yourself indulgences from time-to-time.

The book makes the point that gluten (or any of the other 6 FI foods) may be causing your body all kinds of grief and you might not even know it. Imagine how great life could be knowing exactly what your body needs. You’ll reach your ideal weight, have more energy and have more energy and know that when it comes to your health and vitality, none of your food choices are holding you back.

The book goes into great detail as to why these seven foods are/can be very bad for you. In some cases, it’s because of the chemical make-up of the food and how certain people’s bodies react to it (like sugar and artificial sweeteners). It could be that humans weren’t supposed to consume as much of a particular food that is all too prevalent in modern diets (like gluten, corn and soy). And sometimes it’s because of the industrial process behind certain foods – Virgin also makes a strong case for eating organic.

I believe the book holds much wisdom and I already have recommended it to many people. I found her arguements very enlightening and perhaps an explaination for why certain people just can’t shake the weight. As a fitness competitor and a trainer of other aspiring physique athletes I know all about getting body fat down as low as possible for competition, way below what is considered normal. It is hard to do and harder to maintain for an extended period. One thing that I do, and most other competitors also do, is cut gluten and dairy. I have found people almost always lose weight when they do this. I continue to maintain a mostly gluten and dairy-free diet and I believe I feel better for it. And I don’t miss it much, either. Though I am not going to following the Virgin diet myself (I practically live on egg white and whey protein powder — which is derived from diary — when I am dieting down) I am almost certain the results could be very impressive for others who follow the Virgin diet rules. I have recommended it unreservedly to a few of my weight-loss resistant clients and I can’t wait to see what happens. Results to follow!

http://thevirgindietchallenge.com/

Article on Knockout Glutes By Yours Truly.

The Condition — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 00:35:54 +0000

Click on the link to the IDFA website are read about some of my “tricks”.

Knockout Glutes by Edith Werbel

I’m an IDFA Fitness Model PRO!

The Condition — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 22:43:29 +0000

On Saturday November 3, 2012, I proudly placed first at IDFA’s (International Drug-Free Athletics) Open fitness model category– earning myself a PRO card! That’s right folks, no-longer an amateur fitness competitor I am now a PRO. And all this only one month after my very first competition! It’s a big deal for me and I am extremely happy to have earned this honor. It basically means, from now on, I will be competing at a higher level, against the best in the game. Bring on next year!

I won!

The Condition — Sat, 27 Oct 2012 14:08:17 +0000

After 3 months of hard-core training, eating well and dieting last night I won my first ever physique competition! And I won twice — first in my height division, then as overall winner. I was truly suprised, flattered, and proud of myself. The whole process was very rewarding (yes, even the strict diet) and I feel that if I apply myself to something, I can do it. Aside from the win I feel amazing being in the best shape of my life.

So I’m doing it again, in one month. Here:

http://www.idfa.ca/events-schedule/2012-idfa-world-championships-pro-universe

And of course, I couple of pictures from the night

And with my trainer, Danny.

My first Physique Competition Looms.

The Condition — Sat, 22 Sep 2012 12:47:21 +0000

Two week out to my first physique (or bodybuilding, if you will) competition and I’m so excited and nervous! I’ve been training like a madwoman for the 12 weeks, logging in 3 days on, one day off (and so on) every week at the gym and eating really well. The initial 9 weeks were dedicated to building up my lean muscle mass with heavy sets, no cardio and calorie intake far greater than I was used to (which was fun for a while). I was able to put on about 7 pounds of mostly muscle– which proved to be no easy feat for me. These last three weeks is the time for “cutting up”, that is, getting my body fat really low and aiming to be at my peak “ripped”, bikini ready condition by competition date, October 6, 2012.

I will be competing in the novice divsion (as it is my first crack at this) of the “Fitness Model” category, which unlike the Figure class (which is what comes to mind when one hears bodybuilding) is a lot more lean, less bulky and muscular. The focus is on super toned, feminine bodies, the kind of which you would see in fitness magazines.

Prior to about 3 months ago, I really never, ever considered I’d be doing this kind of thing. I fact, I think I always kinda snubbed my nose at it, thinking it a superficial sport, based solely on aesthetics and not on performance in which scantily-clad fit girls with fake tans prance around in sparkly bikinis and clear heels. And I’m still kinda embarrassed to admit that, yes, that is exactly what it it and that’s exactly what I’ll be doing. But after the muddy and hard-core Spartan-race that I just loved it’s a new challenge which this soon-to-be-30-year-old is fully embracing, and I think it will be fun!

A big thanks goes out to my trainer, Danny Ugaldez who’s been giving my good guidance, pushing me further than I thought I could go, and just generally kicking my ass. And of course to my finance, who was, and still kind of is, against the whole thing but is supporting me none-the-less. And lastly, to my dear Rach who shares my excitement over the girly aspects of the preparation like the sparkly bikini and who will be applying my fake tan backstage!

Watch for the IDFA Eastern Canada Classic on October 6, 2012, and wish me luck!

http://www.idfa.ca/events-schedule/2012-idfa-eastern-canada-classic

See what I’m in for, and what I’ll be up against:

See my custom show bikini:

I am Spartan!!

The Condition — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 01:33:27 +0000

Today, I feel on top of the world. I completed the gruelling, muddy and barbed-wired 5km obstacle Spartan Sprint Race with a pretty good time of 1 hour and 11 minutes. I admit it was tough, and there were moments when I thought I just wanted to walk it. But I ran most of it (it was largely up-hill in the mud) and completed every obstacle with flying colours. I came out absolutely caked in mud and scratched-up knees and elbows, but I felt wonderful for it. I would do it again next week, if I could. But, alas, I must wait for next year — when I might even try for the Super Spartan of 12kms.

Thanks to my photogs, Rach and Miguel, for caputring some of these moments.

No New York Marathon for me in 2012, but Spartan Race is on!

The Condition — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 20:48:58 +0000

So, I just heard yesterday that I was not a “winner” in the ING New York Marathon 2012 lottery. I didn’t have high hopes, being that my chances of actually gaining entry into the race was rather slim. But it’s perhaps a good thing. I haven’t been running outdoors much on account of the persistent cold and rainy weather. But anyway, I may just join that half marathon here in Montreal come September.

In the meantime, I have Spartan Race to which to look forward. June 10, Mt. Tremblant, 10.30 am heat, it’s on! If you didn’t know, Spartan Race Sprint is a 5km obstacle race course, often featuring lots of mud, roping climbs and a wall of fire for a finish line. I am so looking forward to this race. I’ll be up against my good friend Julie. Watch out!

The Science of Yoga.

The Condition — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 18:51:49 +0000

I’ve just finished an eye-opening book, “The Science of Yoga: The Risks and Rewards”, by William J. Broad. Like the author, I’ve been a long-time yoga devotee. I first discovered it when I was 18 and I was instantly hooked. Even today, when I am more focused on gym-style workouts, bootcamps and running, I still turn to yoga at least once a week to balance it all out. I’ve always believed in its great powers. And now I know the scientific basis behind many of my beliefs, which proved correct. But I have also learnt about yoga’s risks, and misinformation.

First the good. We all know yoga improves flexibility, no rewards for discovery there. But did you know yoga can also treat many illnesses such as depression (extremely effective, in fact), arthritis, insomnia, diabetes, fatigue and chronic pain, just to name a few. Practitioners have made many wild claims about illness that have been cured by this seemingly passive exercise. And even better news, it’s clear, yoga improves sex. Yes. The book almost constantly goes back to yoga’s sexual roots (postural yoga grew out of the Tantrics and their sexual rites) and its continuing influence over modern sex lives. Aside from enhancing the act (by harder erections, better orgasms and more pliant bodies) people who practiced yoga also reported feeling emotionally closer to their partners. Further, there is lots of evidence that yoga inspires and leads to creativity, which – going back to sex–, leads us to mention Freud’s theories about sexual energy being a stimulus to art creation.

Now the bad. And the dangerous. And the down-right wrong. Yoga is an ancient art, steep in tradition, and to a certain degree religion. It has experienced massive commercialization and popularity in the past decade or two. The claims and advice of leading gurus, teachers and marketers has largely gone unchecked. Their supposed knowledge was widely believe to be part of venerated, ancient eastern wisdom, which was not to be questioned. But science has proved them wrong in couple of their claims. Most worryingly, some of the most drastic poses which also claim the most benefits might be extremely dangerous. King and Queen of all poses, Headstand and Shoulderstand place your full weight on your cervical spine and has been linked to reduced or blocked blood flow to the brain which has in some cases resulted in strokes in young, fit, healthy people. It is somewhat rare, but it does happen, and it is easy to see why. On a personal note, I have always loved doing shoulderstand and its more intense cousin Plough and have always eneded any workout session with it — we are talking at least three times a week for the past 11 years. I can’t help but believe it has resulted in my neck losing it’s natural curve. My neck it now dead straight and it makes sense that this pose which forces a deeply neck flexion so that the chin pushes into the chest has aided the unbending of my cervical spine. Further, serious long-time yogis with a history of daily deep spinal twist and bends often find themselves needing spinal surgery by their middle age. This is something that is completely ignored in most yoga circles.

There are a few other little nagging things about yoga: It’s often claimed to be a good to manage your weight as it boost your metabolism. Wrong. In fact, it does completely the opposite, it lowers your metabolism. That is why you feel so zen after a good yoga session. But the contraction is that yogis are generally slim people. It is thought that is because yogis are generally a more health-conscious bunch, are more discerning of what they put into their bodies, and are more likely to lead active lives. Rapid yoga breathing does not increase your oxygen intake, as they say. That light-headed feeling you get is you hyperventilating. True. Also, yoga does not improve your cardiovascular fitness by any significant degree, also as popularly claimed. Even the most cardio intense sun-salutations do little to aid your ability to run up a hill. You actually need to run up a hill. So this debunks the claim that yoga is all you ever have to do to achieve optinmal health and fitness.

All said and done, I still love yoga. I believe the benefits greatly outweigh the risks, especially for those now armed with correct scientific evidence. I will continue to encourage everyone I talk to about it to do some yoga, to try it a couple times, to try a couple different styles because they vary greatly. I believe there is a yoga out there for everyone. This book has shown shown me how to look objectively at the practice and I in turn have modified my own, and what I teach my clients.

Shoulderstand

Headstand

A very advanced handstand scorpion