“Everything: Fitness” on Pinterest

March 11, 2012

I admit that I’m intrigued by Pinterest.  I am a frequent visitor.  That being said, when I look at “Everything Fitness”, I tend to get disappointed very easily and bored very quickly.  Looking at these images confirms my theory why a lot of women & girls have eating disorders and body image issues.  And, it confirms why people fail at weight loss and fitness programs. . . For most people, their perception of “ideal” isn’t realistic or even attainable.  I’d guess that most of the photos of the “ideal” on Pinterest is of a woman with around 15% body fat.  How many women can honestly drop their body fat percentage to below 20%?  How many can get to 15%?  Is that realistic?  Is it healthy?  Not really.

Today, for example, when I clicked on it, I see a lot of the same stuff – every day:

* Women/girls want to be stick thin.

* Women like yoga, pilates, Zumba & running.

* Women still think lifting heavy weights will make you huge and build man-muscles.

* Women are obsessed with the unachievable, for the most part.

Of the first 230+ pins, I counted:

> 35 pins about running.

> 110 pins with “diet”, “weight loss”, “skinny”,  or some sort of diet or weight loss tip.

> 58 pins about a workout for various body parts – butts, tush, thigh, back, arms, abs, etc.

> 96 pins had a photo of a 1/2-naked woman exercising with a “perfect” body.

> Only 4 pins had a photo of a woman lifting heavy weights.

So, as I hit the gym this morning with my clients for Suffer on Sunday, I’ll continue to preach the gospel of lifting heavy, hard work, fitness, and clean eating.  At the same time, I WON’T allow them to bash themselves.  I will provide a positive environment for women that focuses on getting fit & strong – rather than promote being “skinny”, “thin”, or some other term that contradicts what I’m trying to do!

Here are a few pics of my buddies getting strong!  Have a nice day!

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Mom & Son Workout

January 5, 2012

Ok, so I’m not the greatest athlete, but I (sort of) make a decent workout partner for my kid.  (He even high-5′d me tonight.)  I definitely cannot keep up with him on strength anymore, and he is much more mobile and able to do all the lifts.  He heckled me and makes fun of me for making noise, grunting, and complaining about the Air Dyne.  At one point today I heard, “Come on, Mom!  You’re better than that!”  But, what I think he likes the most is coaching me. . . he’s smart, he knows what he’s doing and can tell when I’m completely off – and he lets me know.

Since Dad has been unable to coach him recently, it’s been up to me to make sure he gets in his regular workouts.  On Monday of this week, we had a snatch workout.  Tonight, we did cleans.   I prefer cleans over snatches. . . OH squats are very difficult for me.  And, all squatting is a struggle, unless I have my beloved plates under my heels.  Here are some videos. . .

Clean combo

Me attempting to clean & jerk 30kg from a hang. Needs work!

Will doing his clean & jerk easily at 40kg. He is going very light since I’m in charge. He goes a lot heavier when Dad is around. He’s a little badass!

My Bench Press PR – 42.5kg (93.5 lbs.) for 4! Woohoo!

I’ve really enjoyed working out with my son this week, although I’ve been VERY sore. Yikes! Thanks, Will!


Saucony Hattori (for lifting) Review

November 10, 2011

First of all, let me start by saying that I am NOT a runner. At all. I bought these shoes for working out at my gym.

I’d been looking for a minimalist shoe for quite some time. And, I had a hard time finding something that fit right, was comfortable, and wasn’t too terribly ugly. I needed something to wear around the gym and for working out.

Normally, when it’s warm outside, I like to exercise in bare feet. But, in the middle of Winter in Wisconsin, my gym floor gets awfully cold! I needed something that would keep my toes warm, yet give me the feel of bare feet, especially when doing things like Turkish Get-ups.

So far, the Saucony Hattori has fit the bill. First of all, they fit my Fred Flintstone feet. They have a wide toe box and give me a lot of space. They aren’t terribly ugly and they’ve been very comfortable not only to wear around the gym, but also for kettlebells, kickboxing and lifting. So far, so good.

The only negative I see so far is that they seem fairly flimsy. I’m not sure how they’d hold up if I wore them outside. They are also not really very easy to get on my wide feet. I am a little concerned that they might eventually rip/tear from pulling them on.

But, once I get them on (with socks), they are great! I recommend them for wearing to lift weights, to do kettlebell workouts, or even to wear around the house.

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New Squat Rack & Bar

November 10, 2011

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I’m finally to the point where my gym is almost complete! Recently added are a squat rack, a new Eleiko Olympic bar and a second trap bar for dead lifting.  Now that I’ve got 2 lifting “platforms” my clients can do more of a variety of lifts and won’t have to wait for equipment.  Before, with one Olympic bar – for everything – we rarely were able to use it for any pressing.  My ladies have the ability to do so much more now!  Watch out!

Here is a video of one of my clients in action . . .


Trap Bar for Dead Lifts

October 24, 2011

I recently bought a trap or hex bar for dead lifts at the gym.  And, it’s been a big hit with my ladies!  Previously, those who did dead lifts either used a large kettlebell, or a standard Olympic bar and plates.  Now, we are all using the trap bar for dead lifts and everyone agrees that it is much more comfortable, especially on the back.  Of course, this means I need to buy another one. . .

Personally, I’ve always been a little hesitant to dead lift with the bar because I was afraid of tweaking my low back – which had happened in the past a few times.  The change in position with the new bar has given me the green light to go heavy.  Going heavy and getting stronger will help me stay lean and maybe even lose more body fat.  Part of the increase in weight could be mental, but it truly is much better way for me to lift heavy weight off the floor!  With the bar, the most I’d lifted was 75kg.   Today, I dead lifted 90kg for 5.  Woohoo!

Now that I can easily dead lift my own bodyweight, I’m still working on that elusive chin-up. . . some day . . .


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