The Speed Limit

Red Deer Contest Prep Mega Marty is BACK finally after a much needed break.

I've discovered some things that I can articulate as best as I can on paper for you. Some of these things people in my industry just don't want to talk about because it's not "what you do" or "everyday" life. Life, I am finding more and more as I get older, is ALL about balance. The people I find without some kind of balance in their lives come up short or failure horribly in lots of aspects of their life. That isn't all encompassing, but it is DEFINITELY a trend that I am seeing.

The Speed Limit.

The concept is simple, however the implementation and practicality of it might be lost upon some so here it goes.

Not everyone is ALWAYS going to be "on" with their nutrition plan/fitness plan/workout plan/Lifestyle change (I'll get into the "actual" lifestyle change in another blog). This means that there is going to be periods where a break might not even so much be needed, but be mandatory.

Over the summer, I was done. I'll admit it. I have been under the guidance of various coaches myself for the past 4 years, focusing a LOT on my physique and my pursuit of knowledge in my field. After my show this June (Men's physique) I got tired. I had turned down many social events, had been tracking my food almost to the point of nauseam,  and was just... done.

People started asking me what I'm doing with my summer. There were tons of concerts coming up I wanted to attend, so I gave myself a speed limit. I was going to assess myself still and determine what speed I was going.

Huh?

Think of it this way. Most highways around here in Canada are 110. Let's say that's our speed limit. Let say you go to 120 (over eat/let some junk slide/don't track your food/miss some workouts). You might not get caught. Some, with a poor genetic card or haven't been at it long, might get pulled over even at 120. 130? Hmmm... starting to slide a bit more. chances of you getting pulled over are getting higher. 140? 150? You won't be able to maintain this long and you WILL get pulled over.

What I'm saying is if you don't have a HUGE goal in your sights, you have to at LEAST glance down at your speedometer to see how fast you're going. If you're blowing by cars (clothes starting to fit worse, less energy, you start changing in the mirror) it's time so SLOW DOWN. clean things back up again. I did this for July and most of august, roughly 6-7 weeks and I don't regret it at all. 

WIthout always looking at the speedometer, I was able to see the things I was usually missing. The scenery. Other types of cars on the road. Listening to music more intently.

 Mid august hit, and I was ready. I was EXCITED. I couldn't WAIT to get back on a plan, go in, focus on some new goals. My battery was recharged. My mind was clear. It was go time.

It's okay to look up from the Speedometer here and there. It really is. I've seen people with their head down focused so much on keeping that speed at a perfect 110 that they don't look up to see the detour signs in front of them... and inevitably crash. Don't be that person.

Factors in Bikini Competitions

Hi Everyone! Mega Marty back again, head coach of #TeamPopTart talking to you today about bikini competitions.

What I've been noticing, especially at the regional levels, is that bikini competitors are showing up without the correct muscle balance and proportions. This is what I have been noticing:

-Girls have dominant, in most cases MUCH too dominant quad muscles

-Fairly decent core/abdominals 

-Lacking in the shoulders

-Lacking in upper back/rhomboids

-Hamstrings/glutes SEVERELY lagging.

-Arms a BIT too small

In Canada, Alberta Especially, we like our ladies a BIT bigger and leaner than they do in the USA. we'll ALMOST call it a mini-figure look (but a different shape and posing of course)

Girls, you need to realize you must have some muscle to diet down to. If you haven't been lifting weights for a while, you're going to have build up muscle to achieve the look they're after. Of course, I have seen exceptions where some girls just genetically have fuller muscle bellies and therefore can do OKAY with little training. These ladies are outliers and are NOT the norm.

Another thing is that this is not JUST bikini. Bikini girls need to work for this. Anyone who thinks bikini is easy hasn't seen the work that most of these girls need/have to put in. 

Going back to the original topic:

General guidelines for bikini Training:

1) Get your strength up. You do NOT need to be doing upside down bosu squats if you cannot squat 50 lbs on your back. Get a strength routine under your belt with proper technique so that imbalances with posture and strength don't arise.

2) Ease slowly into more of a "bodybuilding" training split. Women do not have the testosterone that males do, and therefore need to beat themselves up in the correct manner to put on any sizeable muscle mass. Yes, I am talking about bikini here. They are NOT just skin and bones.

3) NOW move into a more "classic" bikini approach. Now the "fluffier" exercises will have a place, and can finally have usage of them. This is not implying to ditch barbell squats in lieu of bosu squats. I am saying though that when properly implemented, they COULD have a usage now.

4) Troubleshooting/proportion work. Are my quads to big? Do my arms need more work? Is my current routine addressing these goals? All questions that are now prevalent.

Having a competent coach is becoming increasingly important now, to make sure that you're not wasting your time in the gym with incorrect workouts.

Make sure you're doing it right.

Do it Mega.

Get on the team.

#TeamPopTart

What is Men Physique Contest Prep ?

The growing sport of which is Men Physique contest prep is humongous. It's the division that not only I compete in, but where my heart lies in terms of Putting people on stage. I trained my first client to it, and immediately fell in love. So, whats the deal?

Men's Physique is a MUCH different look from bodybuilding (or at least it should be).

Bodybuilding:
MASSIVE everything
Body fat at 3-5 %
Big
Judged from neck down
Mandatory poses

Men's Physique:
Aesthetics
Proportion
TINY waist
Not "big"
Big Arms, Chest, Wide back.
Judged on skin, hair, face.

This is where I knew I belonged. It's a MUCH more pleasing look to the eye in my opinion, safer in terms of body fat/ supplement use.

The workouts ARE different. The Training IS different. There are ways to sabotage your Men Physique look without knowing, so Guidance goes a long way. The things they don't want are:
-Overdeveloped traps
-Blocky, distended waist
-High amounts of vascularity

This is also what I'm finding that "general society" is after as well. It also makes entering a fitness competition MUCH more feasible for those without heavily muscled physiques to be able to enter a show!

It isn't as easy as some think though. The training is different from bodybuilding a BIT yes, but it's still JUST as intense.
Some general guidelines to think about:
1) you MUST have a muscular base before you diet down. They don't reward "slender with abs"
2) you MUST be at least somewhat of an attractive man. The judges need to see a great smile, good complexion and Well groomed.
3) You MUST have personality that shines through to your posing. Stiffness such as the mandatories in bodybuilding won't cut it.

There are more, but there is a taste.

I believe people need a spectacular coach to make sure their on the right track for entering Men Physique contest prep. I'm not new to this, and have coached many competitors in the division, some of which are at the National level, one step away from becoming professionals.

Do it Right.

Do it Mega.

Get on #TeamPopTart and get going on your contest prep/offseason today.
martymacphee@gmail.com