Physique Sculpting
Your body, your canvas.
Our Miraculous Body
"When we arrive on this earth we are endowed with the most perfect, the most efficient, and the best constructed machine ever devised – our body. A machine beautifully engineered and constructed with the best materials with no planned obsolescence. Almost all bodies are constructed with material of superb quality destined with proper use to last long periods of time." ~ Alton Ochsner
Human bone, especially the femur is about 4 times stronger than concrete. A cubic inch of bone can bear a load of 19,000 pounds.
Humans are the only mammals in the world that cannot breathe and swallow at the same time.
You have 7 new miles of blood vessels for every 1 pound of fat gained.
The largest organ in the human body is skin. Each person will shed off nearly 40 pounds of it in his lifetime.
Lungs consist of over 300,000 million capillaries which are tiny blood vessels. If they were laid out, they would span 1,500 miles.
On an average day, the focusing muscles of the eye moves about 100,000 times. To put it in perspective, that would be the same as walking 50 miles every day for your leg muscles.
The average human body gives off enough heat in only a half hour to boil a half gallon of water.
It takes more than weights...
Physique sculpting -ooooh aaaaah - sounds so mysterious. If you haven't done it before, it IS mysterious, and hard. It can be downright frustrating when you do everything all those books and gurus tell you to do and your abs don't show up. Or you carb deplete then carb load and all you get is a flat bloated belly. What's up with all that?
Rest assured, it can get a bit easier each time you do it. However, the prep is never exactly the same because your body is different depending on how much time you have to prepare. One single step you can take toward dialing in your physique for your event, is to hire a coach. Your coach will look objectively at your body and will know where to focus your training efforts and how to change up your nutiriton.
It is very hard to look at your own body and objective. Often times we look in the mirror at our favorite angle and think "oh, I'm ready!" when in fact the judges will see you from a completely different angle and may or may not share that same enthusiasm. Your coach will see you from all angles and make sure you're ready to be judged.
Setting a goal and doing what it takes
I know what it takes to get your body and mind ready to compete on stage. There are so many elements that you must be aware of and prepare for - training is just one of those elements. You must have the mental strength it takes to "stay in your bubble" and eat and train toward your goal for your entire competition prep and/or season.
You need strict dedication to your training regimine, not someone else's. You should be aware of the financial aspect - purchasing a suit, tanning, shoes, jewelry, contest registration fees, organization dues, travel, photos, food and supplements.
It takes a solid realization that it may take more time than you estimate to get your physique into winning or Top 5 condition. Of course, some folks simply want to step on that stage and that IS winning for them. That is perfectly fine and a really great goal too.
The most important action you must take when you are considering competing in a physique competition, is to set a realistic goal, stay focused and encouraged, rely on your coach and STAY THE COURSE. You will get there.
When you are ready to start, I'm ready to get you going!
Where to start?
Training Tips
Commit to some form of strength training. Ladies you will NOT look like She-Hulk by working out with weights. You want toned arms? Pick up the weights! Bulky muscle happens over a long period of time and you must significantly increase your protein intake to build muscle.
For starters, alternate muscle groups every other day. When you first start weight training, you don't need to do only one body part per workout. Get your body accustomed to that type of training and then after time you can start working specific body parts. Weight training creates tiny micro tears in muscles, which then repair and rebuild during periods of rest. Serious injury can result if muscles are not allowed adequate time to repair.
Take your rest days! The body MUST have time to recover. You're not building your body by working out 7 days a week - you're tearing it down. Train smart.
Hire a trainer to help you streamline your workouts and your nutrition. You will see results much faster when you have an objective set of eyes and an educated coach on your team.
Nutrition Tips
Don't reduce and/or limit your caloric intake in an attempt to be lean. This causes reduced stores of carbohydrates in your body, which are essential for training and performing, and can then lead to muscle breakdown, as your body eventually starts to use protein as an alternative fuel source. Long-term lack of calories really messes up your metabolism. Give yourself at least 10 weeks to lean out if you've got a special event coming up.
Never skip breakfast. Your blood sugar is already low when you wake up, so you should have a well-rounded first meal that includes protein, complex carbs and healthy fats. Make time for breakfast. If you have to wake up 20 minutes early to get it in, then make it happen.
Stay hydrated. Stay hydrated. Stay hydrated.
One of the best things you can do to better your performance is to stay healthy, which means that you need a good amount of antioxidants and superfoods in your diet.
According to experts, it's quite common for female athletes (yup, even the pros) to be deficient in iron, which could slow you down and increase your risk of injury in any sport. So be sure to include plenty of iron-packed products, such as oatmeal, fortified cereals, red meat, and spinach, into your meals.
Always keep food with you so you don't run out of energy. Do your weekly meal prep on Sundays. Put together some healthy snacks and meals that you can easily grab throughout the week.