Highlights from Meet the Olympians - 2019 Olympia
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Miss the Mr. Olympia Presser? Watch it back here!
https://ift.tt/2Q8fBky The Mr. Olympia press conference took place on Thursday afternoon at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, and a good crowd turned out to see the top contenders talk up their chances. If you missed it, then here is your chance to see how things went down. Part 1Part 2
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The Best Quotes from the 2019 Mr. Olympia Press Conference
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7 Best Moments from World's Strongest Man Martins Licis's Reddit AMA
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2019 Mr Olympia Interview: William Bonac, Brandon Curry and More
https://ift.tt/2I4G6kj IFBB Pro League Hall of Fame bodybuilder Shawn Ray interviews Mr. Olympia hopefuls Steve Kuclo, Brandon Curry, and William Bonac, as well as Olympia MC Bob Chicerillo after the 2019 Mr. Olympia Athlete's Meeting on Wed. Sept. 10.
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Fitness via Muscle & Fitness https://ift.tt/2zjtGBz September 12, 2019 at 10:34AM
Bulletproof Your Bum
https://ift.tt/2LQaOif It’s a great time in the world, isn’t it? A time where we seem to appreciate a little heft in the bum more than ever.
Whether we were moving in that direction already or not—or whether Baby Got Back or Jennifer Lopez spurred on the movement in the 90s—everywhere I go I come across women, especially, who ask me how to build a little more muscle mass plumpness in their bums.
Then again, maybe the desire for a bubble bum isn’t all that new, after all. The first successful booty implant actually dates back to 1969—performed by Dr. RJ Bartels.
Don’t give him too much credit, though: His early butt implants weren’t all that convincing. They didn’t have a natural look to them, and because he put the implant between the skin and the gluteus maximus muscle, the implanted bums sort of moved around when you touched them. Like their actual shape would change when you grabbed it. Not ideal.
Bum augmentations are, of course, a lot better today and safer today, and certainly a lot more mainstream. It is believed that close to 15,000 Americans spent a few thousand dollars augmenting their bums back in 2015, and that number seems to grow every year. So, going under the knife is certainly an option to get that ass you have always wanted.
But….
It’s not the only way.
If you’re into working hard for things and doing them naturally—and not risking surgery and spending $5,000 for it—then these seven bum exercises are for you. All you need is your body and a band.
Bum Burner Exercise 1: Banded Glute BridgesAdding a band to your glute bridges make them infinitely harder. Can you do 100 in a row? If you don’t have a rack like in this video, you can also anchor the band under heavy dumbbells.
Bum Burner Exercise 2: ClamshellsCan you do 50 without stopping?
Bum Burner Exercise 3: Banded WalksYou can do these walking forward or laterally. Keep your feet shoulder-width apart (or wider) to make sure there’s tension on the band at all times.
Bum Burner Exercise 4: Banded Leg RaisesA glute ham developer or a reverse hyper are ideal for anchoring yourself during these banded leg raises, but you can do a similar movement on all fours on a bench.
Bum Burner Exercise 5: Lateral Banded Leg Raises
Bum Burner Exercise 6: Banded SquatsIf you know you don’t use your glutes as much as you should during your squat, these are great for getting the glutes more involved.
Bum Burner Exercise 7: Banded Jumping SquatsSame idea as above, except explode at the top by squeezing your bum cheeks together.
I promise you, your bum will burn!
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Here's Everything You Missed at the 2019 Mr. Olympia Athlete's Meeting
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Former MMA star and current NXT Women’s Champ Shayna Baszler Sits Down with M&F
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Courtesy of WWE
“The Queen of Spades,” Shayna Baszler, has bulldozed her way through NXT since joining the brand in 2017. After an impressive showing in that year's Mae Young Classic, where she made it all the way to the finals, the former UFC star is now a record-breaking pro wrestling women’s champion. Muscle & Fitness sat down with the tough Sioux Falls, S.D., native to discuss her rapid rise to the top of NXT, the brand's impending USA Network debut, and her friendship with fellow mixed-martial-artist-turned-pro-wrestler, Ronda Rousey. [RELATED1] Did you watch pro wrestling before you got into MMA? Yes, I’ve watched pro wrestling since I was super young. I’ve watched it my whole life, and then even in MMA, I started training with Josh Barnett, and he’s a pro wrestler himself. He was kind of a tie-in, so when I was studying mixed martial arts, he was the one that showed me how the two [disciplines] are like cousins of each other. And then when I moved in with Ronda and the girls (Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir), I’m the one that was watching [pro wrestling] and I kind of sucked them into it. When did you decide you wanted to try out pro wrestling? It's funny, because I never really thought of actually doing pro wrestling before I was fighting [in MMA]. I trained with Josh Barnett, and with Billy Robinson, who is a legendary British professional wrestler. The way that they do pro wrestling, they want you to have [MMA] fights first, in order to graduate into pro wrestling. I guess it was just kind of a natural progression. I was fighting for the UFC, and I tore my ACL in my last fight, and with the UFC they sign you for a few years but you don’t know when you’re fighting next. They don’t give you an advanced schedule. They’ll call you and say, "Hey, we have a fight for you, say, in three months. Do you want to take it?" But then when the fight is over, you don’t know when you're fighting next until they call you again. So knowing I was injured and then sitting on the bench for a little while, Josh asked me how I felt about doing some professional wrestling. I said, "Yeah, if it keeps me active, cool," and then it has kind of just snowballed from there. It's no secret that a pro wrestler’s schedule is pretty crazy, but what does a normal week of training look like for you? The hardest part is maintaining fitness. We're on the road, keeping a diet, and [trying to get] workouts. Say we go to a city, Philadelphia or somewhere. I don’t know what equipment the gym has available. So I’ll have an idea of what I want to train, like upper body, but then I have to have a very flexible plan based on the equipment that is available. Typically, if we're not on the road travelling, we train daily in the ring [at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando] and have strength and conditioning sessions daily. Then [in NXT], we’re performing at least Thursday, Friday, and Saturday in the Florida area. We're constantly on the go. Does your no-nonsense character reflect who you are as a person? Well, I think I have a lot to draw from [thanks to MMA]. Before pro wrestling, I knew what it felt like to stand behind the curtain and wait to get called out to the ring to beat someone up. It’s a very familiar thing to me. But then also, I think there is some reality to the fact that even the style of pro wrestling, if you look at a guy like Billy Robinson or Josh Barnett—that style is very no-nonsense. If you watch the matches that these guys put on, you won’t see much of a difference between MMA and pro wrestling. That’s the style that I have ingrained in me, and I bring it to the ring. You mentioned that you lived with Ronda Rousey. With both of you being active in WWE at the same time, did you provide each other with support or advice? Yeah, a little bit. Rather than giving advice, it was just nice to have someone to talk about [being in WWE] with. So it was like sharing in the uniqueness of what we were both going through. Then, of course, Ronda getting to the position where she was in WWE, mirrored what I was going through in NXT, where we were both kind of at the top of the division. We would get together and train, of course, and we always did that in MMA too. So it was more like getting together and just sharing in the process of it, rather than tips and tricks. Your rise to the top of NXT was exceptionally quick. How proud are you to be the first woman ever to hold the NXT title on two occasions? In my opinion, the NXT Women’s title is a very prestigious title to have. So the fact that I’m the only person to have ever held it twice is a huge thing that I definitely add to my list of accomplishments. I am very, very proud of it. NXT debuts on the USA Network on Wednesday, Sept. 18, and you must really be looking forward to being a part of that. What changes have you noticed at NXT since you first walked through the doors in 2017? There’s a lot of things. I think I got into NXT at a very historic time. And I don’t mean just the USA [Network] stuff. NXT on USA is probably the most important day in our history. We’ll look back on it as the key day, but even going back to the first ever Mae Young Classic, I’ve been such a huge part of these historic moments with NXT and WWE that I’m so excited to see what’s next. I was sitting [backstage] at the Mae Young Classic and was thinking to myself. "Wow, this is a pretty historic moment,"and not thinking ahead to the next historic moment. But then you know, here we are with NXT on USA and I can’t wait to see what’s next! What is the camaraderie like in NXT? Do you have the mindset that you want to put on the best show of the week? We’ve always been proud of the fact that #WeAreNXT, and we say it, you know? It’s our hashtag. So, I think there’s always been a certain thing where we are NXT, and we are going to be the best that we can be, and want to put on these amazing shows and to show the product. I think the only difference with NXT being on USA isn’t in our mindset, it's just that everybody else is going to see it now. We're doing what we’ve always done; now it's in front of everyone. [RELATED2] How would you describe NXT to someone who has never watched it? That’s an interesting question! If you ever had any preconceived ideas about what pro wrestling is, I think you’ll find that they were wrong. Everyone should check it out! (laughs). NXT begins its weekly airing on the USA Network on Wednesday, Sept. 18. For more information, visit WWE.com
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Fitness via Muscle & Fitness https://ift.tt/2zjtGBz September 11, 2019 at 11:12AM
Young to Really Young: Beginning Olympic Weightlifting
https://ift.tt/31f31Rr A never-ending debate in many sports, but especially in weightlifting, concerns when a young athlete should begin training in the discipline. There are two schools of thought in this area and now to be a good time to take a look at each one.
Many decades ago when I first started training, the general consensus was that a man had to be fully grown, say around 17 or 18, before they could think of starting a competitive weightlifting program, i.e., finished puberty. (If you were female you needn’t have asked in the first place at the time.) Even then it was often recommended that prospective lifters do a year of general bodybuilding training before tackling the more challenging Olympic lifts. Back then it was still possible to produce world champions with such a late start few others started any earlier. No one was getting an unfair jump on the others. It was even common to see people taking up the sport in their 20s.
As the sport developed in the late 20th century it was soon realized that a person had to start younger if they wanted to hit the elite levels. This is true of weightlifting and it is certainly true of most other sports nowadays. When you stop and think about it starting to lift at 17 can seem ludicrous. Can you imagine if somebody had suggested to Mickey Mantle that he not play baseball until he was out of high school? How about telling the Williams sisters that they weren’t old enough for tennis even in their senior year of high school.
This way of thinking probably was a result of the ideas that weightlifting was purely a strength sport and that mature strength would not develop until someone was fully mature. Heavy training would surely damage teenage bodies even as farm youngsters were expected to do heavy work at an early age. It is hard to imagine their pop telling them to take it easy when doing their chores.
Elite Youth AthletesAs the late 20th century war on, it was apparent to even casual observers that elite level athletes were being produced at younger ages. This could be seen most dramatically with gymnastics and figure skating among others. It took a bit longer in weightlifting but it did occur eventually. Probably the biggest stimulus to this was the recognition of teenage world records in 1960 and the holding of the first Junior World Championships in 1975. While the Western world did have younger weightlifters, it was rare for any to approach that level. This was not so in Eastern Bloc where the sport was much more organized and junior competitions were common. But with the establishment of the Junior Worlds, the Western countries now had something to shoot for so the average age of weightlifting registrations started to go down.
As a result, there were a lot more 15 and 16 year-olds who showed up for competitions. One thing that shocked weightlifting around the world was the 1983 emergence of a 15 year-old junior world champion. Naim Suliemanoglu stunned the world with his long string of junior and senior world records. Since no one jumps to World's level with very little training, every coach in the world started to wonder just when did this young man start training if he could be a world record beater at age 15? There is no other conclusion but that such a lifter would have to have started even before puberty had set in. Conventional wisdom had always recommended waiting until puberty had ended.
It was eventually discovered that indeed these lifters were starting quite young and were very experienced competitors by their mid-teens. While many coaches were now eager to start training lifters at younger ages than previously thought possible, there were some who wondered if this was a good idea.
Those in the latter group argued that there were exceptions and this should not be used as a template for all young lifters. They were probably right to some degree as shorter lifters such as Suliemanoglu probably finished puberty at earlier ages compared to their taller peers. Another argument was that such early starts at specialized weightlifting training were not really necessary. It was pointed out that individual results eventually even out after a few years. The early bloomers would reach their point of diminishing returns early while the late bloomers would then finally catch up. This is true in many cases but those who favored earlier training had another argument.
The Role of Non-Specialized TrainingSome believe that it is better for young athletes to spend their pre-pubertal and early puberty years in a wide variety of sports which would give them a better athletic foundation of which to build on later when they do decide to specialize. They further argued that too early a start date can result in a lot of young athletes burning out with regard to their enthusiasm. This is especially true with those athletes who had a greater need for social contact with peers. They would be more drawn to team sports which have always been more highly valued by the kids themselves, their parents, and educators due to their ability to teach various aspects of teamwork and sportsmanship. This idea certainly has some validity especially if one comes across someone who has not been so socialized and then decides to try a more solitary sport like weightlifting. Egos can get out of hand with those who never learned to share with teammates. I’ve seen this many times and indeed such lifters would’ve benefited from some team sports experience.
Those who advocate for an earlier start concede that results may indeed even out over the years but there are still some advantages to their position. One of the major ones is that early starters early were able to maintain mobility, stability and flexibility as they progress to the sport. Most 10 to 12-year-olds still have very adequate flexibility and they do not lose this if they train regularly and work at maintaining it. This is especially important since school requires long hours of sitting at a desk with little physical activity. By the time a male student is a high school senior, he has lost much of his original suppleness. Even those who play football, basketball, or hockey do not have need to be all that flexible. Therefore, if such a student decides that he wants to be a weightlifter there will usually have to be some remedial flexibility work needed. This will take time that could be better used in more direct strength training.
You may have noticed I said ”male” in the last paragraph. With the advent of women’s weightlifting we now have a couple of interesting situations. For one, if a girl waits until a later age to start in most cases she is not as handicapped as a boy with regard to flexibility. Women are generally more flexible than men so they have an easier time taking up the sport and quickly learn the positions. Another advantage females will have is that they generally go through puberty earlier (and finish earlier) so they will be more physically advanced in development at the earlier ages (12-13). Of course this advantage will eventually be negated by the males’ greater testosterone, but it does give them a little edge in the early teen years and may help with keeping their desire strong.
Starting Young Promotes Psychological AdvantageProbably the major advantage of early starting though is psychological, not physical. Weightlifting involves lifting heavy weights overhead while jumping underneath to catch them. It looks pretty scary to the average, untrained individual who has never had any iron overhead. In contrast, it has been observed by parents that small children often have no fear of that which they should fear. They can be little daredevils. That same child by the time he hits his late teens has got far more brain cells working (hopefully) and will not be as foolhardy. For good and bad, these tendencies do affect performance in weightlifting.
A good lifter must eventually get over his or her fear of the barbell if they are to be successful. This fear must be overcome by all lifters but it is much more difficult for an 18 year-old who has never lifted before. Not so with the youngster who has been lifting since he or she was 10 years old. They have has lost that fear and they also have tremendous confidence in their abilities. Those in gymnastics are very aware of this. How many 20 year-olds would want to do a mid-air flip on a balance beam? Not many, unless they are crazy. But a girl who has been doing this since she was 5 years old will think nothing of it. Most Chinese lifters have been perfecting their technique since late childhood and have no fear of the barbell.
Youth Has Its AdvantageThe question about when to start weightlifting for youth is difficult to answer. However, after years of watching 16 and 17 year-olds lifting weights that are only a few kilos off senior world records, it appears that the early starting side of the debate is carrying the day. This is certainly true all of the countries that produce elite weightlifters. The competitive environment and their ability to recruit athletes leaves no other choice.
However, in those parts of the world where virtually professional weightlifting cannot be carried out to any great extent, we still have a situation similar to that which prevailed many years ago. There are many coaches would love to recruit some promising 13 year-olds but this is difficult in a country where there are other sports that are far more culturally supported and have a much easier time recruiting athletes of any age. While we have made some strides in recent years we just cannot compete with football, baseball, basketball, soccer, and hockey. Those are the glamour sports that are able to skim the cream of the athletic crop—at least up to high school.
We may still have to be content with gleaning those who realize that their retirement day in team sports will coincide with high school graduation. We will still have to try to fashion weightlifters out of a lot of athletes who have not previously lifted seriously until college. It can only be hoped that any athletic experience they do have will hold some experiential benefits for them.
Fitness via Breaking Muscle https://ift.tt/1hdUh1E September 11, 2019 at 08:29AM
Angelica Teixeira is Putting in Work on Instagram
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