The US Open Women's Final: Battle of the Biceps

It's interesting to note that perhaps the two strongest women on tour are in the last Grand Slam final of the year in New York's US Open. What is even more interesting to note is that Samantha Stosur, who boasts ripped and lean biceps, has never done a bicep curl with her trainer.

In an article with The Brisbane Times, her trainer, who has worked with Martina Navratilova in the past, mentions that he has never had Stosur complete a bicep curl. Rather, they work on cross training and core, abdominal and glute work to help with her functional needs: playing professional tennis.

Samantha starts her off-season routine with dune running as she loves the beach and the ocean. She surfs frequently (although she admits she is not that good at it!) and she swims on a regular basis as well.

She does work with free weights and Giselle admits that they work with ketttlebells as well. However, Giselle stresses that it is a mixed workout with kickboxing and boxing, core work with stability balls along with cardio interval training.

Serena, on the other hand, has to deal with bulk. She admits that she does not enjoy working out, but has recently started Pilates and Bikram Yoga to help lean out her physique. Serena is naturally muscular and tends to bulk easily with her genetics and metabolism, so in her workouts she focuses on flexibility along with strength and has turned to yoga in which she says she can burn over 600 calories in one hour workout.

Serena makes a very interesting point in that due to the constant serving, one side of a tennis player's body is always stronger than the other so she focuses core work on leveling out this imbalance.

Anna Kournikova replacing Jillian Michaels on The Biggest Loser

I noted with a wry smile that Anna Kournikova is the personal trainer hired to replace the ever-popular Jillian Michaels.

There are some questions here that I am afraid to ask:

1. Is Anna Kournikova a certified personal trainer? And, if so, for how long? I searched the databases and came up empty. A professional athlete, as Anna was, usually hires a trainer to help with fitness and learn the in's and out's of fitness - Anna has really very little experience as a bonafide personal trainer.

2. Does Anna have any previous clients from which we could garner references? Again, I have looked and found not one testimonial.

3. Is Anna a licensed nutritionist or dietician? If so, then great. But if not, she is walking a tightrope in giving any diet or nutrition plans. I am sure they leave this to the professionals on the show.

Three simple questions, all of which are interesting to post to my blog. If anyone has any answers, please do feel free to write them here and let me know!

My final thought for the day is if people find Anna Kournikova's figure these days that appealing? I would like your thoughts.

Weight Gain or Loss Through Menopause

A female friend of mine and I sat down the other day for a coffee and she is heading into menopause. I have not hit that time of life yet, but many of my friends are now struggling with the hot flashes and other side effects of our body changing as we get older. To each woman I know, menopause has different side effects and reactions to each of our own metabolisms.

Generally, as we grow older, we lose muscle mass if we do not maintain our levels of activity and especially if we are not using free weights in any of our workouts.

Needless to say, my friend has found it difficult to gain weight through menopause and in fact, she believes, she may be losing some weight through this period. I told her that I would research the facts and come back to her.

Mainly, women gain weight through menopause. But what I might be realizing is that many women believe they are losing weight - and they are - but it's after menopause. I wonder if I could be correct. My friend has always been very active and lifts frequently (4 times a week), and yet in the past 2 years has been lifting less so which added some weight to her lean structure. Now, she is more active again and can't seem to keep the weight up - although her lean muscle mass is probably about the same. I believe she must be losing some of the fat she put on through menopause. I wonder if I am correct in my thinking.

http://exchanges.webmd.com/menopause-exchange is a great place to start discussing your issues in a forum and to find support as we all go through this transformation.

I found this link as well as very imformative: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/menopause-weight-gain/HQ01076

In discussing this topic with friends all from the fitness industry, many of us have the same questions. But the overall piece of information I gleaned was that our diets have to be even more strict throughout menopause and afterward, toward green vegetables, fiber, and lean protein.

Calisthenics

It's not a word we use that often these days as trainers, but in planning and reviewing a workout plan for my new client, calisthenics came up a few times in my research.

I am working with a former soldier. He's 27 and he's presently 275 and is looking to get back to his optimum weight which he believes is 220, which is what he weighed when he left basic training back in his early 20s.

In looking at how I have been working him out in the local park, I noted that much of what I am doing falls under the term calisthenics. We tend to call it "fatburn" or "core strengthening", but in reality, it's under the Greco-Roman root word, Calisthenics.

What is Calisthenics?

Perhaps a good definition comes from Wickipedia: Calisthenics are a form of dynamic exercise of a variety of simple, often rhythmical, movements, generally using minimal equipment or apparatus. This clearly is useful to me as I travel around as an in-home personal trainer!

Calisthenic exercises are are intended to increase body strength and flexibility with movements such as bending, jumping, swinging, twisting or kicking, using only one's body weight for resistance. They are usually conducted in concert with stretching or particular flexibility stretches. Calisthenics when performed vigorously and with variety can benefit both muscular and, in addition to improving balance, agility and coordination. it is also a very effective way of toning the hips, thighs and waist, or i.e. middle and core weight loss and strengthening.

In working with my client and almost no equipment, I have been focussing on what military fitness programmes use: pushups, situps and crunches, squats, dips, and other such bodyweight exercises that can easily be performed without equipment. What I find really challenging is keeping his form throughout all these excellent exercises.

Other exercises are pull ups, chin ups, calf raises, and jumping jacks to name just a few... sound like a military fitness programme? Sure does to me!

Barry Bonds Guilty

I have watched with interest the case involving the slugger Barry Bonds, who was found guilty yesterday of a federal crime: Obstruction of Justice. In listening to Mike and Mike in the morning on ESPN, I find it interesting that they say this is a case that is all about whether Barry Bonds took steroids. I think that is incorrect. This is a case about a federal crime and obstruction of justice, which is a serious crime. It's what President Nixon was accused of, what President Clinton fought as well, and, all in all, a serious felony. Baseball is a game, obstruction of justice is a crime. Cheating is a serious issue, but violating the Constitution is even moreso. This story, from the Daily News, shows that the jurors applied the legal issues in acquitting Mr. Bonds, but knew that he had steroids in his body due to the tests. However, they felt, and rightly so, that the prosecution didn't prove their case that Mr. Bonds took them knowingly. They applied the law. And they did so in finding Mr. Bonds guilty of obstruction of justice as well. It's too bad, that, apparently, Mr. Bonds flouted the law so grossly. It hurts sport, baseball, and professional athleticism. In this case, our legal system worked, and it rose above the dirt that is apparently enfolding professional sport.

Jacksonville, Florida Personal Trainer

Carrie is one of our newest team members, but she is already one of our busiest. Born to run, Carrie is a marathon runner and personal trainer who just received notification that she will be attending nursing school to further her education.

A member of the Jacksonville Track Club, Carrie has run the Boston Marathon. She is certified by The North American Sports Medicine Board as a Personal Trainer and received her A.A. in Health and Exercise Science. Carrie, like many of our trainers, was recommended by one of our other fabulous trainers in Jacksonville. Carrie is a highly-experienced, reliable and professional fitness instructor. She looks to promote health and fitness through her personal training and educating her many and varied clients.

Can you believe she has three beautiful daughters? We didn't at first, but now we do! And two of them are in college. She looks far too young for that!

Carrie will be gaining her TRX Certification on April 3 to add to her knowledge base and hopes that the TRX Suspension System, which is easily transportable for in-home personal training, will add to the enjoyment for her clients as well as helping to increase their fitness levels.

The Dangers of Soy Milk

The Pros And Cons of Soy

It's always been known that soy milk offers an alternative to cow's milk. And for people on a weight loss program, it does offer a leaner alternative. Compared to reduced fat, commonly known as 2%, soy milk on average tends to have 5% less of your recommended daily allowance for fat. It's better for cholestorol and in terms of saturated fats, it offers a better alternative.

Dangers Are Numerous

But are there dangers to Soy Milk? It can't all be blue skies. And, there appear there are some dangers associated with Soy Milk.

Soy milk has high levels of phytic acids, which can result in lower absorption rates of certain minerals and vitamins, including calcium which is a necessary mineral for bone structure.

But aside from that, soy milk can also affect the levels of testerone in the male body and therefore sperm production. And for women, as little as 2 glasses a day of soy can lead to change in menstrual cycle. Studies are underway to look at the affect that soy milk formula, usually served to those children who are alergic to cow's milk as infants, has on infants and toddlers. With isoflavones present in soy, it has been noted that high levels of this component can bring on puberty very early in lab rats as isoflavones act much like estrogen and can make for an imbalance in the human body.

It's not just the chemical makeup of soy either. In fact, over 90% of the soy consumed is genetically modified. Along with that, heavy pesticide use is associated with soy.

For years, the bodybuilding and fitness community has discussed the pros and cons of soy protein. However, going deeper into the current research provides one lasting impression to those who are trying to gain muscle with higher protein intake: soy contains enzymes which slow or minimize the breakdown of protein in the body. Due to the fact that soy can create stomach unrest, it can also affect the amino acid balance in the body and therefore, in that way, again affect protein absorption.

Soy has also been studied in conjunction with thyroid production. The claims attached to this have been modified in some cases, but there is proof that it does affect thyroid production, but how much and if it can damage and cause change in the thyroid is still unclear.

There is never a clear blue sky, and soy is a great alternative to cow's milk, but as is almost always the case, always in moderation. A vegetarian delight, Soy has its dangers associated with it and one must take these into account when monitoring their soy intake. Stay away from the genetically modified form and stick to the unprocessed food form.