Squat Cable Row
This is a great whole body exercise. Even though it is mainly a back exercise it also engages legs, core, and arms. Make sure to put enough weight to allow you to perform between 10 to 12 reps. Repeat 3 to 5 times.
Hip Thrust on Bench
Hip thrust is excellent exercise to isolate the glute muscles. However, you must focus on squeezing your bum and holding the contraction on the top part of the movement. You know if you are doing it right, when you start feeling cramps on your butt;)
Pump Squat on Smith Machine
This squat variation add a little more challenge to a smith squat, helping develop nice looking legs. Push from your heels and thrust hips forward at the end of the movement to engage glute muscles.
My Current Diet
I am often asked what I usually eat in order to keep my slim figure, so I have decided to take pictures of some of my favorite meals and post them here. Most of my meals are home made and I try balancing my macronutrients (the ration between carbohydrates, protein, and fats) according to my fitness goals and body type. I am an ectomorph, which means that my body handles carbohydrates quite well and I don’t put on weight too easily. Also, I have been trying to gain muscle mass, meaning that my diet contains a little more calories, protein and carbs than if I wanted to maintain or lose weight. Besides, I have a very active lifestyle which allows me to indulge a little more than a sedentary person. That said, here goes a day worth of food in my life.
Legs Superset: Quad Dominant
Leg day is my favorite workout. I’m trying to build my legs (more definition and a little bit of size wouldn’t hurt) but sometimes I get bored with mainstream exercises. So I’m always looking for ways to make my workouts more interesting and challenging.
This morning I had a killer training session which compelled me to share it with you;) I choose three exercises to superset (perform back to back with no rest in between sets). I started with a heavy compound movement, followed by a single leg also compound, and finished with a single joint to recruit those extra muscle fibers. The result was a massive pump and a great feeling of accomplishment.
Here goes what I did:
Product Review: Body Science Organic Vegan Protein
I have recently tried a new protein powder. I was looking for a supplement high in protein and low in carbohydrates to use as a post-workout shake during the cutting phase of my competition preparation. So, I went to the local health food store and stumbled across the “Organic Vegan Protein” from Body Science.
It is as the name says: a certified organic product, 100% vegan, gluten free, nut free, and lactose free. It doesn’t contain any artificial colours or flavours, and it is sweetened with stevia, a natural plant based sweetener that is very low in calories. The protein source is a blend of brown rice, pea, amaranth, quinoa, buckwheat, millet and chia powder. Also, on the label, the manufacture brags that it contains super food extracts such as açai berry, mangosteen, goji berry, and green tea. With 18 g of protein and only 404 KJ (97 kcal) per scoop, I thought it was a winner.
1000 Reps Challenge
One of my clients said that she is very competitive and loves challenges. So this week, I gave her a massive challenge: completing 1000 repetitions of several exercises in the shortest period of time possible. She finished the whole thing in about 50 minutes. Do you think you can do better (or even finish it)? It goes like this:
- 40 plank shoulder taps
- 30 squats with med ball
- 20 TRX rows
- 10 burpees
Rest (as short as possible)