Ladies.

Please.

Stand up straight.

Now.

I see them all the time. Young women. Walking, jogging, sitting, talking on their phones. All of them slumped over, their shoulders dropped, their necks poking out like chickens. The other day, I was driving down the street and two women were crossing the street in front of me (presumably they had just finished running as they were decked out in the their Under Armour gear and were a little sweaty). I immediately yelled to myself in the car “Stand up!!!” Both were walking with rounded backs, head forward, arms swinging by their sides. These were women in their mid-twenties who already had developed slight humps. It’s not right. It’s not acceptable. And it doesn’t have to happen.

Tell me....does this look comfortable to you?

My husband once asked me why so many women stand, walk or sit this way. I really have no clue. But there may be a couple of reasons:

1. Some women slouch to hide either a well endowed chest or a small chest. Perhaps they are self conscious of their size and slouch to hide it.

2. Some women slouch because they are taller than their friends and standing this way makes them appear shorter. I certainly did this when I was in high school and I had my growth spurt.  I was taller than all of my friends and it made me feel very self conscious.

3. Some women slouch because of low self esteem. They are not confident in themselves and slouching allows them to hide themselves more. People do not take notice of someone who is not standing tall.

4. Some women may slouch even if they are confident but in certain situations, they may feel that if they do stand tall, they will be taken for being TOO confident or TOO proud and thus ignored or talked about. Any way you look at it, standing tall is just something that some women cannot do, no matter what the reason.

I have spoken about this to many women and talked to them about why I think women slouch. Many have agreed with me on all points. Most importantly though, they have talked about their own struggles with their posture and how much improvement they have made now that they are stronger. They are much more aware of their posture and work to stand or sit better during the day. And I see it too, day in and day out at my gym. The women walk in one way and leave another way. They walk taller and more confidently. Many are reversing their years of roundness. My mother has scoliosis and had a frozen shoulder years back. She has been strength training regularly twice a week since last August and looks and feels considerably different than she did a year ago. She stands taller because she is stronger overall. She works hard in her training to watch her form with every exercise and concentrates on using her back for all exercises. My younger women are also concerned about how they stand and they focus very hard on what I am asking them to do. It is a struggle for some but they try and they work hard. I tell them it won’t happen overnight but it will happen if they are consistent and patient.

So what can you do today to start making improvements to your posture? Here are three exercises that I use with ALL of my clients (men and women). These are very easy to add to your existing program although they are far from “easy.” Many women and men find these exercises extremely challenging and would prefer to squat than do a wall slide. However, if done consistently, over time, they will make big improvements to your posture and allow you to work better. While there are many, many, many exercises out there, try adding just these three to your routine and you will soon find yourself standing taller.

Face Pulls and Band pull aparts: I paired these two because both exercises should be staples in everyone’s program. The face pull is a great exercise for working the low to middle trapezius and the external rotators of the shoulder. And both face pulls and band pull aparts improve shoulder function, posture, and strengthen the upper back, specifically the scapular muscles.

Here is a great video from Diesel Strength and Conditioning showing two different versions of face pulls.

Here is my video demonstration of band pull aparts:

Wall slides: So simple, yet so challenging to many of us. The wall slide will activate your low traps, rhomboid, and shoulder external rotators and stretch your pecs and internal rotators. Most of us will have a difficult time getting into the correct position. It is one of my clients’ most “hated” exercises.

Here is a video of Eric Cressey demonstrating wall slides.

Add these into your training TODAY. I really don’t want to see any more women walking around looking like Quasimodo.

Always.

My motto when it comes to training? Keep it simple. Stay consistent. It’s great to want to try new things, but the more consistent you are with your strength goals, the stronger you will get. When I was younger, I used to complain to my mom that I was bored. She would look at me and say, “You’re not bored. You’re boring.” And she was right. I was boring. I wanted to be entertained by her. Don’t look to be entertained. (I worked for a club once as a cycle instructor and the word “extertainment” was an actual word the group fitness director used when referring to the group fitness classes and how they were supposed to be taught. I wanted to throw up in my mouth then. It still makes me want to throw up.) Look to get strong. Look to get that headstand or bodyweight deadlift. Look to being able to do 10 push ups or 5 unassisted chin ups. Too many trainers feel the need to entertain you with new tricks because they think you will get “bored” with just doing squats. Guess what? You do not need to be entertained!!! It should not be about getting bored. It should be about making progress. And the only way to get better at something, is to do it over and over again. Because then you get better. You get stronger. You get faster. You start to move better. We live in an age where we are constantly entertained – TV, the internet, Facebook, Pinterest. Don’t let it interfere with your training. If you are playing the “dosomethingdifferenteverydaybecauseidontwanttogetboredgame,” just understand that having your hands in too many fitness jars may derail your efforts or goals, not help them. Stay focused. Stay consistent. And most importantly, train smart.

This also applies to eating. Don’t over complicate things. Keep it simple. And stay consistent. Eat whole foods. Eat protein. Whether it is animal or plant protein, eat your protein. If it is plant, you will have to get a little creative with your eating to make sure you are getting enough protein. Eat your vegetables. Eat fruit. Eat less packaged goods, fewer processed foods. Watch your alcohol intake. Eat when you are hungry. EAT. If going for 5 hours without eating works for you, do it. If you are starving after two hours though, take a look at what you are eating and how much you are eating.  You may need to work on eating more or eating better (ie. nutrient dense foods) that will keep you satiated longer. Remember, eating is not rocket science. It’s about how much you eat and how often you eat. And it’s also about how often you move. People want to over analyze eating. Want to lose weight? Take out the non-essentials. What are the non-essentials you may ask? You know, the “extras” as my husband likes to call them. The “did I really need to eat that after I just ate lunch a half an hour ago?” extras.

Here are a few of my “extras”:

1. Trail mix (that I know I am not eating a 1/4 cup of, the actual serving.)

2. Peanut butter, almond butter, any and all nut butters. (Again, I am not really eating two tablespoons, the actual serving. I mean come on now…..Who does that?)

3. The “healthy” baked goods that I have been baking up a storm…..the oat bars, banana bars, pumpkin bars, breakfast “cookies,” the list goes on and on…

Sure, they are healthier versions of what you buy in the store, but that does not give me license to *cough,* eat them in two days….as I like to do.

These are my “extras” that I find I can eat a lot of and that I don’t necessarily need. These are my non-essentials. They are oh so delicious and yummy and tasty and what I crave. But they should not be my essentials. But if I am trying to lose a little fat, shed a little winter coat, these may have to go….for the time being. Not to say I will never eat them again…but I know that they are extras and extras, when consumed too much, can lead to well, you know what, especially if I am not watching how much I am moving or eating in other areas. Sigh. Is it really that simple? Yes. Move more. (Lift weights.) Eat less. (Take out the extras.)

Take home message: Train smart. Keep it simple: Squat (barbell, goblet, split squat -whatever. Just do it.) Press (barbell, kettlebell, dumbbell.) Deadlift (barbell, trap bar, kettlebell, single leg. Do it.) And for the love of all that is great on this earth – ROW. Face pulls. Single arm rows. TRX. Bands. T-bar. I don’t care. But work your back. Because no one ever does and everyone should. Work on your push ups…the right way, please. Work on your chin ups (I know I need to.) Get your heart rate up. Go for a run if you like. Bike. WALK. And that’s it. REALLY. Don’t waste your time when you train. Work smart. Eat smart. Enjoy your life.

What are you waiting for?

THE FUN GROUP IS FULL. THERE ARE 2 OPENINGS IN THE ADVANCED GROUP. PLEASE EMAIL EMILY AT emily@fivex3.com TO GET ON THE WAIT LIST/ALTERNATE LIST FOR THE FUN GROUP. PLEASE EMAIL EMILY FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO CHECK BACK TO SEE IF THERE ARE ANY CHANGES TO THIS ANNOUNCEMENT.

It’s here ladies!  The 2nd Annual Charm City Strongwoman Contest! Whoo-hoo! We had such a blast last year and we know that this year’s contest will be bigger and better than last year’s!!!

The contest will take place on Sunday, September 15 from 9am  – 4pm. There will be two competition classes: Fun Group (beginner level) and Advanced Group (exercise/ strength train regularly)

Please note: The meet directors reserve the right to move you from class to class based on their discretion the day of the event.

Jackie and the medley

The events for the 2013 contest are as follows:

Weight for height: Each contestant has 75 seconds to throw six medicine balls over a bar at a fixed height. Medicine balls will be two 10lb balls, two 15lb balls and two 20lb balls. Fun Group: 10′ bar height; Advanced Group: 12′ bar height.

Car Pull: Each contestant has 75 seconds to pull a car for 50 feet. This is a hand over hand seated pull using a 1.5″ rope with feet braced. Fun Group will pull a lighter car. Advanced Group will pull a heavier car.

Deadlift for Max Reps: Each contestant has 75 seconds to pull as many reps as possible. Straps may be used. Fun Group: 155lbs; Advanced Group: 225lbs. Each rep must be pulled to lockout from a dead stop. Touch-and-go reps are not allowed. Sumo deadlifts are not allowed. Conventional only.

Press Medley: Dumbbell, Kettlebell, Barbell, Sandbag. Each contestant has 75 seconds to press each weight one time. Fun Group: 40lb dumbbell, 20kg kettlebell, 75lb barbell, 70lb sandbag; Advanced Group: 50lb dumbbell, 24kg kettlebell, 110lb barbell, 90lb sandbag. All weights must be cleaned to the shoulder from the floor prior to pressing to full lockout. Two hands are allowed for cleaning weights but dumbbells and kettlebells must be pressed with one hand only. Continental cleans are allowed for the barbell and the sandbag. Push presses and jerks are allowed. Straps are not allowed.

Loading Race: Each contestant has 75 seconds to pick up and carry four sandbags a distance of 30 feet and load them on to a 36-40″ platform. Fun Group: Four  70 lb sandbags; Advanced Group: Two 70 lb sandbags, one 90lb sandbag and one 100lb sandbag.

Chalk is allowed for all events but tacky is not allowed for any event.

All entrants will receive a meet T-Shirt. Awards will be given to the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winner of each division.

Applications will be accepted up until September 5, 2013. In order to receive a t-shirt, all applications must be in by August 15, 2013.

Space is limited to 16 women PER division.

The entry fee is $50 and all profit will help benefit the Susan Cohan Colon Cancer Foundation for prevention and research. This registration fee is non-refundable. All contestants will also have the option to create a First Giving Page to help raise money for the organization. A link to creating your page can be found here. More information about this to come shortly!

Please contact Fivex3 training or Emily Socolinsky at emily@fivex3.com for details. Please make all checks payable to Fivx3 Training LLC.

The ladies of strength.

 Please download the registration form by clicking here.

 The laziest man I ever met put popcorn in his pancakes so they would turn over by themselves.
W. C. Fields

I love food. Not going to deny it. No, I am not a foodie. I don’t really spend time trying out new recipes or hitting up every new restaurant that pops up. I just like to eat. The end. I typically like to compare myself to a goat. Like a goat, I will anything. I am dead serious. I will try just about anything that you put in front of me. And I will eat it. Then I will decide if I want to eat it again. Sometimes yes. Sometimes no. But I will never turn away food.

Now, I am also a creature of habit. I could eat the same thing every single day and pretty much never get bored. Okay, so maybe that is not exactly true. Although I do eat eggs every morning for breakfast, I will add different things to my egg scramble….chicken one day, turkey burger the next, ALWAYS a crap load of vegetables. Maybe cheese. Maybe not. Fruit varies – strawberries, grapefruit, melon….whatever we may have in the fridge. But it is always eggs. On the other hand, my husband TRULY does eat the same.exact.thing.every.day. Eggs with pepper jack cheese and peas. Bagel and cottage cheese. EVERY.SINGLE.DAY. The only reason we change our lunches every few weeks or so is because of me. I can eat roast chicken and vegetables for lunch for about a month straight and then I need a break. He could eat them indefinitely and never get bored. It works for him. And that’s why he stays so lean and mean.

But every now and then on Sunday, I like to indulge. My indulgence? Wait for it….PANCAKES!!! Protein oatmeal pancakes to be exact. Banana or Pumpkin…I love both. I found an awesome recipe online from Cookie & kate that I use each time (creature of habit – found a recipe that works and won’t look at anything else.) for my pancakes. I tried grinding my oats and using pre-packaged oat flour and I definitely prefer grinding my own oats for the oat flour. I like the texture of the pancakes better. I also started substituting pumpkin for the banana when I did not have bananas one morning. Delicious. If I am feeling feisty, I will add chocolate chips on top to my pancakes when they are on the griddle. I also like to add a scoop of protein powder to the mix. It doesn’t change the consistency too much for me so I keep the wet ingredients the same. If I want to make just 4 pancakes, I simply cut the recipe in half. I get 8 pancakes with the recipe as a whole. You may prefer bigger or smaller pancakes so don’t be afraid to experiment.

Here is the recipe from Cookie & kate (Writing in bold are my own additions):

Ingredients:

1. In a small-ish bowl, stir together the mashed bananas or pumpkin, coconut oil (or butter), lemon juice and honey (or maple syrup).
2. Beat in the eggs or egg whites. If your coconut oil goes back to its solid state like mine did at this point, just warm the mixture for short 30 second bursts in the microwave, stirring between each, until it is melted again.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the oat flour, baking soda, salt and spices.
4. Form a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. With a big spoon, stir just until the dry ingredients are thoroughly moistened. Do not overmix or you’ll run the risk of getting tough pancakes!
5. Let the batter sit for 10 minutes. The book notes that you may want to thin out the batter a bit with a touch of milk or water, I did not.
6. Heat a heavy cast iron skillet (or nonstick griddle) over medium-low heat. If necessary, lightly oil the surface with vegetable oil or cooking spray.
7. Once the surface of the pan is hot enough that a drop of water sizzles on it, pour 1/4 cup of batter onto the pan. Let the pancake cook for about 3 to 4 minutes, until bubbles begin to form around the edges of the cake.
8. When the pan is just beginning to set, flip it with a spatula and cook for another 90 seconds or so, until golden brown on both sides. You may need to adjust the heat up or down at this point.
9. Serve the pancakes immediately or keep warm in a 200 degree Fahrenheit oven.

I like to eat my pancakes with Siggis plain yogurt too. Packed full of protein and awesome goodness, Siggis is the bomb when it comes to yogurt. Spread it over those pancakes, make a nice big, cup of coffee and add some fruit to your meal and you have yourself one tasty Sunday breakfast. Of course, bacon would be the icing on the *cough* “pancake.”

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Oatmeal Pancakes

Seriously.

One month ago, I started running. From what, you might ask? Ahhh, yes, you would be right to ask that question because, well, I don’t run. I used to run. I ran quite a bit when I was 22 years old and living in NYC. I had a girl friend who ran a lot and she would drag me along for all of her runs. I actually ran a 4k and two 10k’s because of her. And I must say, I didn’t do too badly.  When I moved back to Baltimore in 1998, I stopped running. No real reason. Just because. I didn’t really have a reason to run. It was fun to run with Juliana and in Baltimore, there was no Juliana. I started mountain biking and road riding when I met my boyfriend and got into the biking thing and actually entered into a duathlon. It was pretty cool. (I did the same one a few years later with my sister.) But I never really seriously ran again until 2003, when I broke up with said  boyfriend (for the second time – there was a third time too). Once he was gone, I got my dumb ass back into the gym. And I started running.  I tell people I started running so I  could run away from my problems. And I did. And I ran right into a new pair of jeans too. (That wasn’t really the running…although it definitely helped. Really it had to with the fact that I was no longer eating pizza from Dominos every freakin’ night.) I met my husband the following year, and he was a big runner so of course, we started running together. In fact, our second date was a trail run. Then our backs started bothering us and in 2006-07, we both had to stop running. Hell, he could barely walk anymore, and I was having a really difficult time dancing. Then, in 2010, we discovered the barbell. And, well, you can read about my back issues here and how strength training got me back on track.

But I was done with running. All done running. ALL DONE! And the more I got into strength training, the more running just did not make sense at all to me. Why would anyone want to beat themselves up with running when they could get really strong with a barbell? Running to lose weight? Puhlease. But to each his own. A few of the women who train with me love to run.  They do races throughout the year.  And they also love how much better they feel running as a result of their strength training.  When people ask me about my feelings towards running, I tell them that while I feel running can wreak havoc on your joints and there are better ways to get stronger and lose weight, I would never tell anyone to not do something that truly made them happy.  If what you are doing fits in with your lifestyle and is helping you to reach YOUR goals, wonderful. Keep doing it. As the saying goes, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. However, if you are not happy and running is hurting you, not helping you, perhaps it is time to try something new. All of my runners who train with me feel 20, 30, 40, 50 x stronger now than they did before and they are running better, feeling better. Funny how that works……

So I was done with running. Running free. And then in 2011, my sister has to go and get stage 3 colon cancer (Thanks Charlotte), has surgery, goes through 8 months of gut wrenching chemo, fucking beats the crap out of her cancer (Take that cancer!), volunteers for the Ulman Cancer Fund Triathlon this past October and then calls my butt up to tell me she that she is doing the triathlon next year and she wants me to do it with her. And the first thing that crosses my mind is, oh shit….I have to run.  Of course, the next thing that crosses my mind is hell yeah, I’m doing it! My sister went through fucking hell for 10 months. So I think that I can put my body through a little hell for five months. Anything for Charlotte.

It really does.

And it was a very, very, very long 10 months, the longest 10 months of our family’s life. We cried A LOT, but we also laughed a lot too. You have to laugh when you are facing the unknown.

It is the only way to get through all the crap that comes along with having cancer.

Planks...w/ her daughter.

Today, she is cancer free, looking great and getting back into her strength training. She, too, has also embarked on her running program in preparation for the race.

Conditioning

So back to agreeing to do the race. Now, I don’t swim. I haven’t run in almost 7 years. And I have not been on my road bike for about five years. But of course I said yes because, if Charlotte can handle almost 8 months of chemotherapy, feeling like crap every other week for 8 months, I think I can run 6.5 miles. Seriously.

Off and running!

We officially registered in March and Charlotte began training with her running club in the beginning of April. I started my running program the same time. A new friend of mine (Gotta love Facebook – we found each other via Tony Gentilcore’s blog) sent me the “Couch to 5K” program which gave me a good place to start. And while of course, I am far, far from a couch potato, I am have not run in almost 7 years. So I was starting over. And let me tell you, that first day was tough. ;(

Monday, April 1: Run 1:00. Walk 2:00. For 15 minutes. It was torture. My shins were killing me. I was beet red. I looked a mess. 15 minutes. Ugh. What was going to happen to me??? (It was just enough for me. I thought to myself, “There is no way I can run longer than a minute.” And of course the next day, I ran for 2 minutes. The body adapts.)

Wednesday, April 3: Run 2:00. Walk 2:00. For 18 minutes. (I actually went for 20 minutes, tacking on an extra 2:00. Worked out fine. Felt great.) What a difference from Monday to Wednesday.

By Friday, I was in the zone. I proceeded to run for for 3:00 minutes the next time, then 4:00 minutes then 5:00 minutes. By the time I got to 5:00, I had a feeling that my next run after that would be continuous, a full out run. Before that day, I decided to do a few short runs. I started running home from the gym (1.2 miles one way) on Tuesday and Thursday evenings after my last class. I also ran to the gym Wednesday and Friday mornings for my early morning classes. The run took me about 11:30 – 11:40 each time. This was great! Short runs, good time, same pace each time. By the 21st of April, I was ready for my longer run. I ran for 25 minutes straight on Sunday, April 21 and then again on Friday, April 26.

Last week, I ran home Tuesday evening and to the gym Wednesday morning and then again home Thursday. Took off from running Friday as I had to drive to work since I was meeting a friend right after my class at 12. Today, I ran about 2.4 miles in under 22:00. I miscalculated my route so I ran less than I wanted to run, but that’s okay. I am running and that’s what’s important.

Best part? Last Tuesday, Charlotte ran 2.5 miles in about 27 minutes. Not too shabby for a woman who was never a runner and who, at this time last year, could not climb a flight of stairs without getting winded. Take that cancer!

At the rate we are going, the two of us will be more than ready for this race in October. Because the Giza sisters always get the job done.

To be continued……

After the Susan Cohan Colon Cancer Walk this past September

This guest post comes from one of my clients, Harper Kubicek. And even though I now know that she reads Shape Magazine, I still think she is awesome. Truth be told, I have a subscription to Hers:Muscle and Fitness. We all have our weaknesses.

I know Emily will probably shake her head when she finds out that I have a Shape Magazine subscription and that I’m submitting my “Good Eats” entry inspired by a recipe from the most recent issue.  Truth is, I fell victim to one of those door-to-door traveling salesman and bought a couple magazine subscriptions from him almost a year ago.  I’ve since regretted my decision to purchase those subscriptions and vow never to answer the door to someone I don’t recognize!  But I digress…

The magazine does have some creative, healthy meals inside, and last night, I tried out one that seems so appropriate for the unusual summer-like temperatures we’ve been seeing in Baltimore lately.  This meal is light yet flavorful, and I knew wanted to share it!  My favorite part is the mint yogurt dressing.  I bought the mint at Safeway last night, but I can’t wait to try this recipe again when I can use fresh mint from the back patio.    Enjoy!

Mediterranean Lettuce Cups with Mint Yogurt Dressing

Adapted from Shape Magazine

Ingredients:

¾ cup dry quinoa

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small red onion, chopped and divided into 2 equal portions

1 can (15 oz.) low-sodium pinto beans, rinsed and drained

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

½teaspoon cayenne pepper

½ teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

½ cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt

Juice of ¼ lemon

1 teaspoon ground cumin

2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

½ cucumber, peeled and diced into ¼-inch pieces

6 ounces (about 1 cup) cherry tomatoes, halved

1 head Bibb lettuce (8 large leaves)

1 avocado, pitted and sliced lengthwise into thin strips

Directions:

1.       Cook quinoa per directions on package.  (For me, I used 1.5 cups water and simmered for 20 minutes).

2.       Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and add ½ red onion, while saving the other ½ for later.  Saute for 4 minutes.  Season with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper.  Add pinto beans, vinegar, and ½ tsp. black pepper; combine and bring to a simmer.  Stir in quinoa and remove from heat.

3.       In a small bowl, combine yogurt, lemon juice, cumin, and mint; set aside.

4.       In another bowl, combine ½ red onion, cucumber, and tomatoes.  Add 2 tablespoons yogurt dressing, ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper, a pinch of salt, and a pinch of black pepper and stir to combine; set aside.

5.       Put 2 lettuce leaves on each of the four plates.  Spoon ¼ cup quinoa mixture into each.  Divide cucumber mixture evenly over leaves and top with avocado slices.  Serve with extra dressing on the side.

Mediterranean Lettuce Wraps

“Every strength coach I’ve ever been around, it’s glute, glute, glute — always, always, always. It’s a broken record. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard the phrase ‘You want to look better going than coming.’ ” Titans Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck

And why not? Why do NFL players run the way they do? Glutes. Why do Olympic sprinters break records left and right? Glutes. The stronger the glutes, the more powerful the person. And the stronger the glutes, the better looking the glutes. As Bret Contreras states in Chapter 3 of his new book, Strong Curves, “Butts come in all shapes and sizes. Often, what differentiates a good booty from a bad one is glute strength.”

Good booty vs. Bad booty

Bret goes on to show us a simple, yet effective drawing of a good butt vs. a bad butt. “Though my drawing is rudimentary,” Bret says, “it clearly demonstrates the difference between a strong set of glutes and a weak set. The bad booty on the left lacks depth, fullness and has what are known as glute folds, where the actual buttocks show excessive folds at the separation point from the hamstring. The booty on the right is perky, round an shapely…what determines  a good booty over a bad booty is the amount of muscle you carry back there. Many women feel that losing weight is the answer, but when they get down to the weight they desire, their butts don’t get any better. In fact they get worse. Remember that butts are made in the gym. You have to build that muscle and hit it from all angles to curve out your backside.”

I have been a fan of Bret’s for over three years. As many of my readers know, after about 5 years of dealing with a back injury, in and out of physical therapy, I suffered one of the worst back relapses the end of May 2010. It was unbelievable. I had never felt so vulnerable in my life as I did then. I told myself that when I could sit and walk without pain, I would never, ever let that happen to me again. And I haven’t. When I recovered and was able to move without pain, I got my butt in the gym and started a lifting program. My husband had already started Mark Rippetoe’s Starting Strength program and was making great progress. I decided to follow in his footsteps and started squatting and deadlifting to my heart’s content. Around the same time, I had also started reading about Bret and his glute work and so, in addition to my squats and deadlifts, presses, I also added glute bridges and hip thrusts into my program, bodyweight only at first and then with the barbell a few months into the program. And I made great progress.   It was a little tricky at times to get this work in at my commercial gym where I trained before opening Fivex3 Training. But I did it. And let me tell you, there is nothing like asking a couple guys if they mind if you can borrow the bar from the bench rack so you can do heavy glute bridges.  When they asked what I was doing, I told them I needed to work my butt. “Go for it,” I remember one of them saying, staring at my set up. I added front squats to my program the following year. I was getting stronger and my body was changing but honestly, I did not realize at the time what was happening to my body, mainly my glutes until I had a picture taken of me the end of May of 2011. When I saw the picture of me from 2010 and then from 2011, I was literally dumbstruck. All that squatting, deadlifting, glute bridging and hip thrusting had given me a stronger, tighter, healthier body. All I wanted was to be stronger. And I was. But I also had an, excuse me for saying, kick ass body to boot. I have shown these before and after pictures a few times but they bear repeating.

May 2010

May 2011

“It’s all about the ass.” Mike Verstegen

If you want to know the who, what, when, where, why and how of glute training, Strong Curves is the book for you. If you want stronger glutes (and who doesn’t?), Strong Curves is for you. If you want to feel better, look better and get stronger, Strong Curves is for you. If you are looking for a fast and easy fix, Strong Curves is NOT the book for you. Because getting stronger takes time. It takes patience. And it takes consistency. Hands down, Bret and Kellie have put together one of the most thorough and comprehensive fitness books on training the glutes that I have ever seen. It is truly an encyclopedia of glute training, glute knoweldge and is essentially a step by step of “how to work towards creating strong glutes which will in turn create a strong body” book.

With this book, I now have all of Bret’s work at my fingertips. I believe that this book is an excellent resource for women who have already begun strength training and are now looking to really step up their program. It is an excellent resource for trainers and coaches with female clients who want to take their clients to the next level of fitness. Bret and Kellie’s passion for training and fitness shine through page after page after page. I appreciate Bret’s no nonsense attitude about good glutes vs. bad glutes, emphasizing over and over again that the stronger your glutes are, the better your glutes will look and the better your body will look. And I appreciated the balance between Kellie and Bret’s talk of “looking better” while “getting stronger.” We all want to look good but I feel, as many others do, that when you are stronger, the “looking better” just comes as a result of all of your hard work. And Bret and Kellie reiterate this point over and over again.

The opening chapters of Strong Curves tackle why the glutes are important and how and why it is important to build them and make them stronger. In Chapter 5, Bret and Kellie discuss the in’s and out’s of nourishing those glutes as your diet can, and most certainly will, make or break your goals. Eat the right foods ie. protein, good fats, whole foods and your body will reap the benefits. Starve yourself and you won’t see results. Your body needs fuel. You just need to make sure it is the right kind of fuel and it is enough for your body so you can make progress. Chapters 6 – 8 discuss how the program will fit into  your daily life and help give you some insight as to how to apply the program to meet your goals.

Female Strength Chart

I particularly love the the Female Strength Chart because it helps you define where you are in regards to your current strength and acts as a progress chart. I really love that for most exercises, according to the chart, I fall into the “Advanced” and “Elite” categories. And as Bret says, “While I believe my strong female colleagues probably think this chart is a bit “easy,” I believe it to be accurate if you consider the entire female resistance training population.” And he is absolutely right. I loved Kellie’s note about the chart too. (See below.)

Kellie's Note

After the introduction chapters, you get right into the programs. Four different programs for you to pick from that will help you reach YOUR goals.

Workout A from Gluteal Goddess

Maybe you are already an advanced lifter looking to step up your glute training. Head right to “The Gluteal Goddess Advanced Workout.”

Gorgeous Glutes

Perhaps you are very satisfied with your upper body and want a more comprehensive, “glute only” program. Try the “Gorgeous Glutes” program.

Whatever your goal, Strong Curves is NOT just a book with some pretty pictures and a couple exercises. From the comprehensive, yet easy to understand and digest information about the glutes and muscle building, to the detailed pictures of foam rolling, mobility work, common mistakes and how to fix them to the various glute activation and accessory exercises and the breakdown of hip dominant, glute dominant, quad dominant exercises etc. and how to do them correctly, this book keeps no stone left unturned when it comes to the how, what, when and why of building strong glutes and a strong body.

Glute activation

How to fix your mistakes

Mobility Work

Hip Dominant Chapter

Glute Accessory Exercises

It is an incredible resource, one that you will refer to over and over and over again as you continue your journey towards a stronger body. The programs are not designed for you to do for a few weeks and then try something else. They are designed for you to utilize on a daily basis for years to come. I know that I will use this book as  resource for myself as I continue to train as well as for my clients who are looking to get stronger, feel better, move better and look better.

Here is a video from June of this past summer of my hip thrusts. 245# for a set of 10. Not too shabby.

You can purchase Strong Curves online through Amazon or Barnes & Noble. Get.It.Today.

This Good Eats post is a guest post courtesy of one of my clients, Shannon. She is a baking fiend and knows how to make a mean gluten-free cake.

“The only way cheese is dessert is when it’s followed by the word cake.”
Michele Gorman, Single in the City

Finally!  Here it is.  I’ve got so many recipes I enjoy but this has quickly become a favorite.

This cake is courtesy of Elana’s Pantry, a gluten, dairy, egg, grain-free website I follow.  What I love about this cake  is that there are only 6 ingredients and only requires 1 pot, a food processor and a pie plate to clean up!  Although it’s considered a cake, it’s very dense and extremely moist, almost like a bread pudding.

Did I say bread!? Shame on me!

Anyway, it’s great at any time of day, but when has cake ever been “time-sensitive”?  NO, really, it would be great served at a brunch decorated with some mint leaves, sprinkled with a touch of powdered sugar or even after a nice meal topped with some ginger-spiced whipped cream.  Yum.

It has a low-glycemic value but is high in protein and Vitamin C and it freezes extremely well.  The original recipe does not mention this but I think it’s important to mention that it keeps best refrigerated.  AND if you’re new to gluten-free flour baking, they don’t keep as long as wheat flours.  But when should cake ever last a long time? It’s meant to be eaten and enjoyed.

Here is the recipe. If you want to learn more about Elana, check out her website here.

Orange Cake

• 2 oranges
• 4 eggs
• ¾ cup agave nectar
• 2 cups blanched almond flour
• ½ teaspoon celtic sea salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda

1. Wash the oranges and boil them whole (peel and all) for 1 ½ hours, or until soft (you should be able to cut them with a knife without forcing it through)
2. Place whole oranges (peel and all) in a food processor and blend until smooth
3. Process in eggs, agave, almond flour, salt and baking soda until well blended
4. Pour batter into a greased pie plate
5. Bake at 375° for 35-40 minutes, until a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean
6. Cool in the pan for 2 hours
7. Serve

Hmmm....cake.

“I always give my bird a generous butter massage before I put it in the oven. Why? Because I think the chicken likes it — and, more important, I like to give it.”

Julia Childs

Perfect Roast Chicken

My husband and I are always trying to look for new ways to eat chicken. And if you know us, we GRILL everything and we grill year round. Snowstorm, hurricane….we grill. Usually we grill our chicken, but we find that it tends to dry out quickly the longer it sits in the fridge. We have a slow cooker and we have tried out a couple chicken meals with it, but Diego isn’t crazy about the meat turning out so soft and becoming almost unidentifiable. ;( The last meal we made in the crock pot, I got a text from him after lunch saying “I’m giving away the slow cooker.” We haven’t but we have not tried another recipe since the chicken con arroz disaster. ;(

We racked our brains to come up with a new way to cook our chicken. How about roasting our chicken, Diego suggested. Hmmm. Interesting. Roast our chicken. Revolutionary idea! It couldn’t be that difficult, right? I was given the task of looking up “How to Roast a Chicken,” and we quickly found the recipe “Perfect Roast Chicken” from the Food Network site and Voila! A new meal was born.

Here is the recipe straight from the Food Network Website. The words in bold are our additions.

Copyright 1999, The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, All Rights Reserved

Ingredients

The vegetables.

1 (5 to 6 pound) roasting chicken
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 large bunch fresh thyme, plus 20 sprigs
1 lemon, halved
1 head garlic, cut in half crosswise
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter, melted
1 large yellow onion, thickly sliced
4 carrots cut into 2-inch chunks
1 bulb of fennel, tops removed, cut into wedges                                                           1 bag of small red/purple potatoes                                                                                                                                   Olive oil                                                                                                                                                      

Stuffing for the chickenOlive oil

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.Remove the chicken giblets. Rinse the chicken inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pin feathers and pat the outside dry. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. Stuff the cavity with the bunch of thyme, both halves of lemon, and all the garlic. Brush the outside of the chicken with the butter and sprinkle again with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken. Place the onions, carrots, fennel  and potatoes in a roasting pan. Toss with salt, pepper, 20 sprigs of thyme, and olive oil. Spread around the bottom of the roasting pan and place the chicken on top.

Ready to roast!

Roast the chicken for 1 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh. Remove the chicken and vegetables to a platter and cover with aluminum foil for about 20 minutes. Slice the chicken onto a platter and serve it with the vegetables.

 

 

 

Wow! What an incredible chicken! This turned out so much better than expected that I was eating the vegetables straight out of the container without heating them up. Amazing. We enjoyed this meal so much that we decided to make it again the following week. I don’t know if we would substitute anything else or take out anything. It was so easy to prep and turned out so well. And it was definitely better than any of our crock pot recipes so far. Don’t worry, we have not given up on the slow cooker….but we just have not found the right recipe yet. If YOU have a good slow cooker recipe you would like to share, send it to info@fivex3.com. We would love to post our reader’s recipes as part of our Good Eats Posts!

“It’s not knitting class.”

No, it’s not knitting class and to put it bluntly, we do a crap load of carries here at Fivex3. We walk with dumbbells. We carry kettlebells. We pick up sandbags. The other night, one of my guys picked up one of our benches and carried it around a bit. Basically, if it’s heavy, you will pick it up and you will carry it.

So why carries? First off, heavy carries are a GREAT way to get some good conditioning in with your clients without them realizing they are actually doing “cardio.” One of our favorite carries at Fivex3 Training is a single kettlebell carry. Grab a heavy kettlebell, one potentially that will tax your spirit.

The kettlebell carry.

Hold it by the horns about 1/2 and inch in front of your chest like you are about to do a goblet squat but instead of squatting, take a walk around the room for 30-45 seconds without putting it down. And you want to move quickly. This ain’t a trip to the store for some milk. If you aren’t huffin’ and puffin’ after that round, then it wasn’t heavy enough so you will need to go pick up another one.We use this carry quite a bit and most recently, I decided to simply put 4:00 minutes on the clock and make them carry their hearts out. I called out 30 second intervals so people could check in with how they were doing, whether they needed a break or could keep pushing.  If you are curious about how people feel after a 45 second round, just ask my client Steve what it’s like to carry the 36kg bell around the gym for time. Actually, don’t ask him right away because he is probably too busy trying to catch his breath. I dare anyone tell me that lifting heavy things and carrying them for distance or time ISN’T cardio.

Frame carries. Go Linda!!

Second, they are an incredible way to work your “core.” (Honestly, I cannot stand this word but it is what it is so I’ll keep it.) Carries are all about core stability people. Think about it. What happens when you hold two heavy objects in your hands? Or when you pick up something heavy and hug it to your chest? Your body reacts to the weight, senses how heavy it is and finds a way to brace it so it doesn’t hurt itself. Pretty remarkable. A really heavy carry makes you truly aware of what your trunk should be doing. Your glutes get fired up. Your spine locks in place. You brace your trunk in order to carry all of that weight.  Carries help teach your body how to get tight and stay tight while moving heavy weight around. Sorry, but crunches won’t do a damn thing for you the next time you are late for your flight to Bermuda. Add some heavy carries into your training and the next time you forgot your flight was leaving at 5pm, NOT 6, instead of limping towards the gate, dragging your heavy suitcase, you will SPRINT to the gate with your suitcase in hand as if you were Superman, which, of course, you are now because you have been doing those heavy carries in class. In fact, one of my clients recently had to do just that at the airport and when he was in class the next time, he thanked me for all of those damn suitcase carries we did in class week in and week out. You’re welcome, I told him. Now go pick up that sandbag.

Hard at work!

And third, ANYONE can do them. From your 6 year old to your 65 year old. With carries, you can have your beginner trainee working just as hard as your most advanced client….and in the same class.  For a beginner, simply holding a 16 kg bell (35 lbs) may be really heavy for him/her and will cause enough of  a stimulus that he/she is really sweating bullets. For your more advanced trainee, you can have them carry two heavy kettlebells in the rack position or maybe carry the weight for a longer period of time. Remember that “heavy” is relative to the trainee. Have weight to match everyone’s needs. Everyone will be able to carry something and these types of carries make each and every client you train feel like they have really accomplished something, which of course, they have. And man does it beat walking on that damn treadmill.

Below are just a few of the different carries we like to use at Fivex3 Training. We typically do this work at the end of a class as a “finisher,” 3-4 minutes of good solid conditioning. With the sandbags, we may drag it first and then pick it up and carry it, combining a drag and carry which makes it even more challenging. 3-4 minutes is all you really need after a full session of work too. For your conditioning, remember to keep it hard, keep it brief and keep it movin’!

Farmer’s Walks – Kettlebells or Dumbbells

Grab two heavy dumbbells or kettlebells. Keep your back tight and your glutes engaged and take a walk around the room. Remember to move quickly and keep your chest up. Great grip work too. Most of the time, it’s not the weight but the grip that makes my clients give up!

Suitcase Carries

Grab one heavy kettlebell or dumbbell and carry it around the room. Keep your chest up and your back tight and don’t let the weight pull you too far to the side. Switch hands once you have carried for the desired distance or time.

Kettlbell carries – Single carry or Double in the rack

Pick up one single kettlebell or dumbbell and hold it about 1/2 inch in front of your chest. If using a kettlebell, hold it by the horns. If using a dumbbell, cup your hands underneath the head of the dumbbell. If you want to make it heavier, grab two kettlebells and hold them in the rack position (see video.) Keep your chest up, your glutes tight and keep your hips underneath you. When the weight gets heavy, the tendency is to let the hips move forward and arch your lower back. We don’t want this as it puts too much stress on that lower back. Watch your position!

Sandbag carries – Bear hug/Shoulder carry

Squat down and get your arms underneath the sandbag and bear hug it to your chest. Or if it’s compact, you can grab it by the handles and clean it to your chest. Just get it up there and move along.

Waiter carries – We don’t do a lot of these carries (requires a lot of shoulder stabilization), but they are a great addition to your training.

Press a dumbbell or kettlebell overhead and lock that shoulder in place and take a walk with the weight. You can also press two weights overhead as well. Keep those glutes tight, chest up and ribs down.

Frame carries – Trap bar work

If you have a trap bar, awesome. Use it. Throw some weight on it, pick it up and walk around the room with it. Awesome carry for grip work too.