Arnold Classic Sports Festival - A Month Later

Arnold Classic - A Community of Athletes Striving to Achieve and Inspire!

It has been a little over a month since the Arnold Classic Sports Festival was held in Columbus, Ohio. This year was the first time I attended it and I was really impressed! After going to the Olympia in Las Vegas two years ago, this Sports extravaganza crushed the Olympia in every way. It really made the Olympia seem insignificant. The Arnold was a true gathering of athletes - over 17,000 to be exact - of all ages and nationalities representing their various sports. There was gymnastics, power lifting, Olympic lifting, bodybuilding, strong man, fencing, dancing, boxing, MMA, wrestling, table tennis, cheerleading, and the list goes on and on. Who would have throught you would see such a wide variety of athletics all taking place under the same roof? I really thought this to be impressive. The atmosphere was motivating, and all of the athletes were supportive of one another.

I think I was most impressed by the amateur (NPC) bodybuilding portion of the contest, regardless of whether or not the physiques were achieved with the help of synthetic methods. They were the most aesthetically pleasing, dense, and symmetrical bodybuilders that I've seen at a contest. They were truly the top level amateurs from all over the world. The audience was in awe of the physiques presented by the amateurs. To tell you the truth, it felt good to see the curiosity and respect that the stage was receiving with the huge crowds of people surrounding the stage and taking pictures in amazement of the quality of these physiques! I was delighted by people appreciating the work that the bodybuilders put into their contest preparation. It was a big change from some of the smaller and lower quality shows that I've been to where people just want to see a "freak show."

Another highlight of the Arnold wasa the Saturday n ight IFBB Men's Bodybuilding (Mr. International) and Strongman Finals at the Veterans Memorial Arena. It was a display of muscle and brawn at it's best! Pairing the professional bodybuilding with Strongman finals on the same night was awesome! The night started with the posing routines of the pro bodybuilders, went into the final Strongman event, then went back to bodybuilding for awards, and then ended with the strongman awards.

I was thoroughly impressed by the athleticism that Kai Greene (the Mr. International winner) displayed in his routines. He showed strength movements that highlighted how he has complete control over his body. He demonstrated incredible stabilization in some areas while also producing precise, controlled movement in others. He transitioned between poses with almost liquid, break-dance type moves. He not only looked incredibly dense and symmetrical, but he was one of the only bodybuilders to really show how comfortable he was in his own body. He confirmed that he wasa a true master of his physical mechanics and kept the audience on the edge of their seats throughout the performance. It was really exciting to watch!

Most bodybuilders that I've seen are not masters of their bodies on the inside OR outside. They are more like strangers in their body regarding how it moves and operates. They may have massive amounts of muscle, but are not "athletic" at all. This can be seen from amateurs all the way up to the pros through their awkward, disconnected movements and shaky presentation of their physiques... Yup! I said it!

In order to build on and present your physique in the best way possible, you must be able to understand how your body functions. You need to use ATHLETICISM to stabilise your body and yield mobility, not just brute force with bulky muscles. Being ATHLETIC really is a scarcity in the sport of bodybuilding! Just look at Kai Greene at the Arnold and you will see a great balance between athleticism and bodybuilding

Pictures of Kai Greene at the Arnold from Musculardevelopment.com Website

Biotest and T-Nation Shenanigans

Biotest Shenanigans and Marketing Scams on T-nation?! Please tell me it's not true!

For the past couple of years many of my clients and I have been avid readers of T-nation. For those of you who aren't familiar with T-nation, it is a website that has articles from some of the best and most highly regarded trainers around the nation. Within the last year, though, we have noticed how it has gone from genuine information and witty articles to a Flex Magazine-like garbage bin for propaganda and advertisements.

My clients and I have been saddened and frustrated with this radical approach of force feeding us products. It reminds me of the bodybuilding magazines; it's writers and editors could care less about quality articles, but will instead fill half of the magazine with advertisements. Don't believe me? Go through and count the number of advertisement pages, compared to the rest of the magazine. I've done it before! I've gone through and ripped out each page that had an advertisement, and at the end was left with a magazine half the size of the original and thought, that flat out sucks.

T-nation was a site that targeted an educated audience full of many of the more elite athletes and trainers both nationally and internationally. I have found recently, though, that there is an abundance of articles that show little to no respect to the readers by assuming that they are all naive and idiotic. With T-nation's audience being one that was full of educated readers, it makes the "product push" approach even more comical, yet degrading at the same time. For example, take a look at their flag-ship article called Velocity V-diets 3.0:

http://www.t-nation.com/programs/vdiet30.vdietprogram001.jsp

According to the Velocity V-diets you are only having one whole meal per week, and for the rest of the meals only take Biotest supplements?! I have never in my life heard of something so asinine and unhealthy.

I hold a bachelor's degree in nutrition with a minor in psychology. Over the years, I have worked with numerous clients from your "average gym goers" to Division 1 College athletes. My clients have had success with weight loss and muscle gain all through nutrition and training plans customized to each individual client. The core of each program is built on a whole food diet. At times, I may integrate supplement use into my programs such as adding a multi-vitamin, fish oils, etc. I may also supplement protein powder before and/or after a workout. One thing I can say that I have NEVER done, or ever will do for that matter, is tell a client to eat only ONE MEAL PER WEEK!

In the article the name Tim Ziegenfuss, PhD is mentioned as being a proponent for the V-diet. What they don't tell you is that he is the newly appointed Director of Scientific Affairs at Biotest Laboratories LLC. So this actually puts things in perspective! They are pushing Biotest products and their "research" is done by a director of Biotest? Hmm... sounds shady to me. But why didn't they explain who he was in the beginning of the article? Perhaps because by mentioning that the man with the important sounding PhD is making money off of the products they are pushing? Sounds like deception to me. This article mimics the typical American prescription drug industry.

"You have pain? Take this drug!"

"You want to get bigger, stronger, and leaner? Take steroids!"

"You want to lose weight? Easy! Take a pill!"

What ever happened to the sane, effective, whole foods and hard work approach? Now, I'm not saying I don't or haven't taken supplements. I have taken everything under the sun from countless types of protein powders, to fat burners, vitamins, fatty acids, BCAAs, and natural test boosters just to name a few. Yes, there is a time and a place to utilize these supplements, but should they be the base for a diet? ABSOLUTELY NOT!

In addition, who made Biotest the standard for supplements anyway? Oh wait... T-nation did! I am from Colorado Springs, Colorado where the headquarters of Biotest is located. I have taken many of their products and can honestly say I have had NO better results with Biotest products than anything else I have taken along with a solid nutrition plan! I also learned a good amount of inside information from venders and friends of mine who are associated with the company. What to hear a secret? They're REALLY good at marketing! Their products, though, are no better than any other.

From what I can remember, the last ground-breaking product that they had was MAG-10, an Andro product that is actually banned now. Since then, Biotest has struggled to product another product that rivals the results of MAG-10. But, like I mentioned before, they are really good at marketing. They use T-nation to shovel more propaganda into your head by using extreme make-over stories along with tons of pictures of scantily clad, provocative, athletic women plastered all over the T-nation website "coincidentally" next to the Biotest products. I really have to applaud them. It made me read the article - and who wouldn't want to read it? When you hear of a success story of COURSE it makes one want to see what it's all about... until you get through it and conclude that it is a heap of garbage.

This approach of eating one whole meal a week is clearly NOT a healthy way to approach weight loss. The psychological factors alone will be implanted in the client for years that this method is the only way you can lose weight fast. This makes clients neurotic and completely throws logic out the door. I have seen it for myself. I have many clients come to me from so-called "Nutrition Gurus" that have no credentials to back up their charming title. They believe in low calorie, starvation diets and they're convinced that carbohydrates are the devil. I really think it's sad. Those ideas destroy someone's confidence and make them believe they must be a starving, angry, foggy minded lunatic to lose weight. Not to mention the repercussions of this type of diet can be devastating.

When people who follow a starvation diet finally start eating normal again the most common thing to happen is for the body to gain all of the weight back plus even more weight very quickly. The body knows better than to let you starve again. It is a very efficient machine made for survival, not for being thin and looking good in a bikini. Your body wants to use the least amount of energy to upkeep the system. Starvation diets are only coaching clients into an eating disorder, weight gain, and/or a dependency on supplements. But, surprise surprise! This results in the stocks for the supplement companies to go up! The supplements only want your money! I know, shocking, right?

This is just a new fad diet fronted by another company which will end up where all the other fads went... in the trash. Please let me know, have you ever seen Biotest products in a supplement store? Of course not! You won't find them there because they are too good for you! Obviously just kidding...

I want to EMPOWER the client with knowledge and make them THINK about their choices, not dupe them with fads and supplement products along with all the whistles and bells. I want you to be able to make an intelligent choice when buying a supplement product, even if it IS made by Biotest.

Don't get the wrong idea, I didn't write post this to bash Biotest. I just wanted to stress the fact that you can't believe everything you read in magazines and online. I want you to question the articles and form intelligent opinions based on what you've read. I also wanted to point out the tragedy that another website that once provided us with respectable articles has fallen into the hands of sponsorship and product placement.

As a conclusion, I would like to say it was nice to know you T-nation. I will miss the days when you provided me with intelligent articles backed up by real science without a motive.

And for a laugh, here is a quote used in the article:

"Your initial - and wholly logical - response is probably something like this: 'I bet I can do this diet without using BIOTEST supplements.' Maybe, but the end result wouldn't be a body transformation. Instead, you'd look pretty much like you do now, only smaller and, well, baggier."

To Static Stretch or Dynamic Stretch... That is the Question

How do I stretch? When do I stretch? For how long should I stretch? These are all important questions that are frequently asked. Due to myths that have been spread between individuals at gyms, schools and even higher level athletic organizations, stretching has often been misrepresented.

One of the more popular beliefs is that you must warm up first and then hold each static stretch for a certain amount of time before your workout. Sound familiar? I am sure most of you have heard something similar to this numerous times from individuals such as your high school gym teacher, various athletic coaches, or friends.

The Legend of the Static Stretch has plagued everyone from athletes to casual gym visitors. More often than not, you enter a gym and see people in the designated “stretching area” scattered over the ground getting ready for the stretch-athon. What most don’t know is that they are preparing themselves more for injury than for their workouts. “But how could this be true?” you may ask. When you perform a static stretch, you are holding a position for a certain count, and then moving to the next position when the time is up. When you are holding the static stretch in the stationary position you are actually overstretching the muscle fibers and making the muscles and tendons relax, ultimately making your muscles weaker for the workout.

Think of a long rubber band and a short rubber band: which one will generate more power when pulled the same distance? The answer is the shorter band. When you static stretch before your workouts your muscles are more like the longer rubber band. This ultimately dulls the activity in the nervous system, impairing your brain-to-muscle communication. The result is a decrease in your ability to generate maximum force in the following workout. On top of that, static stretching also decreases blood flow to muscle and makes you more susceptible to muscle strains and tears.

I remember using this stretching strategy when I played junior and college hockey. Looking back, it is no surprise why during some games I felt sluggish and couldn’t perform at my maximum potential. The scary thing to me is that even today everyone from amateur to college athletes are still doing pre-game static stretching which is only making themselves slower and less efficient athletes, while also making themselves more susceptible to future injury.

Static is not all evil – there is a time and place for it such as after your workouts. You may utilize it and hold each necessary stretch for 30 seconds - an ideal amount of time to help increase your range of motion in tight and shortened areas. This will aid you in recovering from your workout, or even performing daily actions such as squatting down to pick up something instead of bending at the waist and lifting with your back…ouch!

But what should I do before training? The better choice is DYNAMIC STRETCHING. Dynamic stretching is using an active movement to stretch a muscle instead of an immobile position. Some examples of dynamic stretches are single-leg high-knee walks for stretching your hamstrings, or hands-overhead lunges to stretch the hips. Since the stretch is being achieved through movement you can actually ignite the nervous system and increase blood flow to the muscles. This will prevent you from over-stretching and weakening the muscles and prepares your body for the power, speed, and endurance needed in the following exercises! Dynamic stretch movements may be repeated 5-8 times each to prepare the muscles ready. One active set for each muscle is sufficient – more isn’t always better. Doing more sets than needed will not be more beneficial.

Instead of mimicking the long rubber band our muscles will act more like the shorter rubber band resulting in more power and speed during our movements which makes it perfect for pre-workout or pre-game warm-ups, or for any other athletic activity. To learn more about Static and Dynamic mobility please feel free to contact me at Scott_Bottorff@yahoo.com or visit the Aspire Advanced Training page on Facebook.com.

Fascia

Are the Weights not going up as easy anymore? Are your joints and muscles sore and tight? If so, then it’s time for a change! All it takes is some maintenance and a better understanding of your own body and what it needs to be performing at its best.

Every day we perform repetitive actions which, over time, may cause us to have pains and injuries. These everyday movements such as driving and sitting at your desk may in fact be responsible for those aches. These little movements in the office, in your car, even at home cause a multitude of negative movement patterns and posture which insult our Fascia.

You are probably thinking, what is Fascia and how can you insult it? Well, Fascia is the tissue that encapsulates your muscles - it starts at the bottom of your feet and runs all the way up your body to your eyebrows. Fascia surrounds our muscles and helps to keep them divided and protected. The pains you experience when you don’t take care of your Fascia are a result of the once separated tissue tightening up creating knots. These knots cause pain and loss of mobility. If nothing is done to counter balance bad posture and the repetition of daily movements, these seemingly harmless day-to-day actions will take a toll on your body.

You may have heard people say, “I can’t do squats anymore because my knees ache,” or “I can’t bench press any more because my shoulders are killing me.”We, or maybe we have similar stories of our own, but it doesn’t have to be like this! True, most of us can not afford the luxury of getting a massage every day, but there are other options. We can use a foam roller or a lacrosse ball as our own massage therapists for as little at $25! I bet it sounds silly that just by using a piece of foam or a ball you are able to increase mobility, decrease injury, and increase performance in the gym. Yes, with a foam roller you can essentially “iron out” the all the knots of insulted tissue throughout the body and increase the blood flow to aid in healing. This can decrease, or often times make your aches pains disappear. This method of using a foam roller for just 10 minutes a day makes a world of difference for everyone from beginners to seasoned athletes.