Hot Shoot at Aziani Iron!

Ok, so if you want to see more of me at this very exciting shoot, you gotta go to this website!  This has got to be the hottest shoots I have ever done.  Let me know what you think.
  http://access.azianiiron.com/track/MTAzOTMuMTAxMjguMTE4LjI1Mi4wLjAuMC4wLjA

Finding Beauty in Balance--Training for a Lifestyle

Ok so I lived in San Diego from June until November to accomplish many tasks both personally and professionally.  First things first, after my strongwoman training and some minor surgery in the early spring, my body needed California sunshine, and lots of positive energy, and like minded, fit people.  What better place than Pacific Beach to hone my Amazonian physique?  At the beginning of the summer I weighed around 220 pounds.   At the end of the summer, I ended up right around a pretty hard, curvaceous 210 pounds, perhaps the highest quality 210 pounds I have ever been.  The first time I ever broke the 200 pound barrier was when I lived with my girlfriend, Saskia in Den Hague, Netherlands about four years ago.  Since that time, I focused primarily on powerlifting, strength, overhead pressing (mostly people!) and strong woman events. 

So, what did I do differently?  To be honest, I just had to go out to California to remind myself of my own inner strength and knowledge.  Sometimes, I need to go away from something (get out of my comfort zone) and try something new, whether it is a sport, a new city, or new environment that gives me a fresh perspective.  The fresh ocean air of Pacific Beach, and my amazing friends and colleagues in San Diego all served as a the much needed shock I needed to break out of my normal patterns of lifestyle.  I can't really say that I tried ultra hard dieting, doing hours of cardio and killing myself in the gym.  I respect that protocol--when I need to do that sort of thing.  For me, I finally understood what many of my closest friends and mentors have been telling me for years.  Do not overtrain, do not eat too much, do not eat too little (keto type diets), do not do too much cardio, and for God's sake, do not lift too much!  We all hear this, don't we, and how daunting it is, even for pros like me in the trenches, making a living with my not only my body, but my brain and how I present myself to the world.  For every theory or philosophy on diet and training, there is an argument against it.  It is incumbent upon each individual to find out what works best for him.  Do your research, experience different modalities of training and just get out there and do it!   Over the years, I have trained with top bodybuilders, strength athletes and others, and each step along the way, I take that knowledge and store it.  Sometimes, we need gentle reminders or "refreshers" to bring us back to what we already know. 

When I got to San Diego, I met with Sandra Blackie, an IFBB pro from Canada, and as I sat in her office, I asked her if she would help me with my diet and training.  She looked at me both baffled and pleased that I asked her.  I told her I was being dead serious and wanted to lean down for the summer for my work.  She gave me some guidelines on food, which was the most interesting approach I have ever seen on diet, as it called for more of a balanced approach, not fearing carbs, dairy or other purported dietary "evils".  She then took me through a few workouts and paced me so I could remember what it felt like to train not only as a bodybuilder, but a person that wants to get in better shape.  Initially, I did not think it was very fun, because I am used to hanging out with a bunch of behemoth strong men who take at least 5 minutes or more bullshitting a lot in between sets.  Great formula to get freaky strong--not so great if you want to look good.  The training made me nauseous, and I was a bit winded, but I got over that fast.  I learned to love the intensity in between sets, and getting a "pump"--a stupid term when you are trying to be the strongest bad ass Amazon in the world....but nonetheless, I learned to embrace that feeling and just go with it.  Week by week, I could see the veins, leanness and hardness of my physique, and that is always validation that everything is working the way it should.  Now mind you, I still have to be super strong for performing my feats of strength such as overhead pressing a person both with one arm and two arms.  So, I still go relatively heavy on front presses, whether seated, strict military, or Olympic push presses out of the rack.  I typically added about two to three one half hour to forty-five minute cardio sessions per week.  By no means did I ever feel like I was getting overwhelmed or over training in the gym.  Far from it.  In fact, I was lucky if I made it into the gym 2-3 times per week, but when I did, I hit if fast, intense and dirty--kinda the way I like sex a lot, but that's another story!  It was more about finding my balance and joy in the training process and my ultimate goal of getting leaner. 

In this quest to get leaner, I rarely, if ever, look at the scale.  I prefer to use the mirror and the way my clothes fit to see if I need to tweak something.  I am pleased to say that I only lost about 10 pounds, but what I did lose was mostly fluff.  The other thing I did was I cut out red meat almost entirely, with only the occasional burger or steak.   I typically used to eat about 8-12 ounces of lean wild game.  Quite costly, but very tasty.  I found that by switching to organic free range chicken and turkey and cutting my portions to about 1/2 the normal protein intake I normally ate, naturally leaned me out without me even really thinking about it or trying too hard.  I call this "natural caloric restriction". I also like to eat a lot of Thai and sushi and how can you go wrong in San Diego with so many choices?  So, although I may have eaten out quite often, it was always a good clean food source.   I have learned that I do not really need to eat quite as much protein to look good and be strong.  I think there is an overwhelming amount of literature mostly from the meat and dairy industries that promote this false logic since we were kids in school.  My morning meal consisted of oatmeal or cream of wheat with 1 cup of egg whites (10 egg whites) and some berries and soy or almond milk.  Then the rest of the day was mostly a little turkey or chicken with vegetables. I also stopped slamming protein shakes indiscriminately.  I would usually have about 50 grams of protein (2 scoops) with some water every time I was slightly hungry and before and after training sessions.  Old habits die hard, don't they?  Old school bodybuilding and power lifting habits.  Admittedly going from 155 pounds leaned down figure girl 10 years ago to a 220 pounds world class strong woman, I had to learn how to eat big!   Arguably, when one is trying to get bigger, stronger and gain weight, this is perfectly fine.  But what I did not realize, was I was ingesting perhaps an additional 600 calories a day more in protein (and, in reality, closer to 1,000 with the additional portions of red meat) that my body did not really need, therefore, making me softer and not as lean and hard as I desired.  I have Sandra to thank for that--she told me to cut out the protein shakes. As I said, sometimes in life, we need guides and mentors to remind us of where we are going.  Thank you, Sandra!

I enjoy the "endless summer" of San Diego, and I did not want to see her go--and it is so easy to stay in summer mode in Pacific Beach.  By early fall, I was hired to do some work for a company, Aziani Iron. Their set is very similar to my good friend, Denise Masino.  They do the hair and make up perfectly, making the models totally glamorous, and the lighting and set was gorgeous home in Los Angeles.  I really did not plan on shooting with this company, as they called me on the fly while I was at the Olympia in Las Vegas in late September.   Buzz, the owner of the company, was super professional and very down to earth, which is always great and made me feel comfortable, enabling me to present my best package.  But, I am glad I did my homework early this summer, and decided to prepare myself so I was ready when opportunity knocks.  Nothing is worse in life than being ill prepared for whatever comes your way.  And, nothing is better when things fall into place--by design.  So, no matter what you do in life, personally or professionally, it's always good to find the beauty in balance.  Not doing too much or too little of anything--but finding that perfect balance, being in the zone of what truly makes you happy.  Which makes you a productive, beneficial person to all those around you and all those you touch in the world. 

Human Kettlebell Overhead Lift

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Blog Update

When I got home from the nationals, I drafted a very long story about the nationals from the heavyweight class perspective, an insider/observer view. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, my internet connection was lost and I lost my manuscript! And, I have been promising myself that I would get back into the swing of things and write the story. So, I owe you all the rest of the story! I will get to that very soon, as promised.

In December I got caught up with the holidays and European travel, and I am finally getting grounded again.

However, I wanted to let you know that I will be making a guest appearance at the Arnold Classic March 2-4th at Denise Masino's booth, #1261, Muscle Pinups. As many of you may know, I have worked with Denise in the past, and she is perhaps my favorite person in the bodybuilding industry, as she inspired me to become an entrepreneur. From the very first time I met her in 2003, I knew exactly what direction my path would take. She has inspired and empowered many women in so many ways, and she has a great energy and enthusiasm. My booth hours are: Friday, March 2nd, 2:00 pm - 6:00 pm,, Saturday, March 3rd, 2:00 pm - 6:00 pm, and Sunday, March 4th, 12:00 pm - 4:00 pm. So, if you are in the neighborhood at the Expo, make sure you stop by and say hello! It's going to be a lot of fun, and Denise always has one of the most exciting booths at any Expo.

This year has started off very busy, and I have many projects ongoing, as always. Please stay tuned for more great things to come!

America's Strongest Woman Results

As promised, I told you I would post my results as soon as possible regarding my placing at the America's Strongest Woman Show. As you know, I have only been training with strongman implements for about two months now. I made the decision to train in Las Vegas with Nick Best, current World's Srongest Man competitor, and retired world ranked World's Strongest Man competitor, Mark Phillipi. Under their careful guidance, they trained me so that I would peak for this show. Just two short months ago, I was just learning the finer nuances of handling the implements for this national level contest, which attracted the finest of North America's strongest woman, many of which are veterans of these shows for a minimum of five years, and in most cases, more. Despite that fact, I knew I was up against a really experienced field of women, I was confident, even with minimal training that I could win the Overhead Clean & Press Log at 170 lbs, the 550 lb car dead lift, the 240 pound stone over a 50" bar for repetitions in 60 seconds, and, I knew the 200 lb keg for distance would be a challenge, but with my long, powerful arms, which are great for stones and carrying events, I would be competitive.

Day one, I was the number three big girl in the OH C&P. My personal best was 8 in training, so I was gunning for 10, under meet conditions and adrenaline fueled. I am accustomed to training in weather between 80-110 F. The day we started, it was only around 60 F. As fired up as I got, I was a bit slower out of the gates, and sometimes, when one gets nervous, you forget the finer points of lifts that make you more relaxed and in the groove. In my case, since 170 lbs is fairly light for me, I ended up strict pressing the first 4 reps to everyones amazement and awe. And, I did not dip my head through fast enough and use my legs to explode out of the bottom, a very common mistake for me when I can manhandle the weight. Anything over 200, and, of course, I am far more aware of the fact that I must not cheat on brute strength, but also use my legs. So, strict pressing takes more energy and oxygen, and takes a greater wear on the body, which is not good in a sprint event. I actually began to pause on rep 6, 7, & 8, which I lost valuable time on. Upon my completion, the reigning champion, Kristin Rhodes, and American OH record holder approached me and tapped my hand, asking me what my rep count was, since she knew that was what she had to beat. Other girls just shook their heads and advised me I did not even use my legs, and I just laughed, and was both glad and mad at my performance. Just a few moments later, Rhodes repaid out 8 reps, and we tied. My two toughest events were up next, the yoke and the farmer's walk.

I have trained with Nick Best's yoke, and it is far heavier than the yoke at the meet, which, in my estimation is a good thing. I tore my left calf muscle early in my preparation for these events, in late August. I was using Mark Phillipi's yoke, which has an independent loading system, and it was only my second yoke run. It was serious enough, that I had no choice but to take time off all sprinting and loaded events, and focus on static strength, such as dead lifting, stones, and overhead pressing. I have been getting extensive massage and rehab done to it, and now, even though the calf is better, it has traveled down to the attachement at the Achilles tendon, which hurts whenever I try to sprint or move fast. To date, I have only used Nick's yoke three times, and have only made it through the entire course with several yoke drops, which is not only obviously inefficient, but painful on the lumbar. My yoke time was one of the worst, if not the worst at 34 seconds. The average time from winning to middle of the pack must have been around 13 seconds to around 30. And, finally, the farmers walk was not great, but better than the yoke, with 18 seconds time. I was miserable in the cold weather, and the standing around, something I am not accustomed to. My back was stiff, tight, and I felt miserable after those two events after watching these girls just smoke these events. But, I also knew that, I did not train these events at all during my preparation with the exception of a couple of times, due to my injury. My only hope to save the day was the dead lift.

I was the number three heavyweight girl to pull on the dead lift. The meet promoters decided to change out from the car with three boards, and I had to wake up. It was getting darker and colder out. I was getting my head ready to pull, and they told us to strap in. Dionne Wessels, the show director and NAS proprietor, was my judge. She told us to relax as the big men lifting the cars were still suiting up in their suits and strapping in--and nothing is more frustrating than getting in position and having to wait. My coach, Eddie, started yelling my name, "Amber!" And his voice is hard to hear, over the crowd I finally looked over at him, and motioned that I had not hooked by belt. This would have been a potentially fatal error on my part, even though the 550 load felt like it was only about 315 to me on a traditional dead lift. Although my core is strong, this may have been a critical factor in getting the last several reps. I was in my zone and the reps just ripped off the ground. I nearly locked out 25. There was one girl, Ann Vanderbush that got 19, and Christian Lafex and another girl got 17 reps. I could sleep easily, knowing that I would be the last heat in the keg, which was a good thing to know the distance to beat.

Day two, going into the keg, a darkhorse competitor by the name of Jana Hoffman carried the keg two and three quarter lengths. I knew that I had to get three lengths to beat her. I was pretty confident I could do it. I watched most of the top contenders fail after about 1.5 laps and many of them readjusted and then failed. My best training run was only little over two lengths. In my mind, I know I can do three, even though I had not yet traveled that far with it, as I have only carried the keg for distance on two separate occasions. I felt dizzy after the first 80 feet, but not bad, then turned at 160, as I looked up toward the sky, trying to control my breathing and pace. My legs began to feel very heavy and my grip was starting to slip a bit. I decided to reposition a bit by squatting down, then kept going, when all of a sudden, I felt my hamstrings and legs locking up and not wanting to move. My mind wanted to go forward, but finally, my legs collapsed out from under me and I just laughed as I fell to the ground, but very disappointed, because I knew that it was going to be close or just short of Jana's distance.

To be continued, I am at a pub in Memphis, so I am running out of time to get to my gate! Cheers...stay tuned!

North America's Strongest Woman

I am sitting here in my hotel room in Tunica, Mississippi, relaxing in preparation for North America's Strongest Woman competition, which kicks off tomorrow. I feel very good, and as ready as I am going to be. Although I decided I would prepare for this show only two short months ago, I have made every workout count, every rep count, and every morsel of food and day of rest count. I feel stronger than ever, very calm and relaxed, and yet supercharged at the same time. As a lifelong athlete, it's a cool feeling getting the competitive vibe.

When I first started training implements, my weight shot up to 220, but after a couple months of training, my weight stabilized to 210-212 and I look better and am stronger than ever at this weight.

Day one is overhead press 170 lbs for reps in 60 seconds, yoke, 550 x 80 yards, farmers walk, 200 lbs each hand, and car dead lift, about 500 lbs. Day two is keg 200 lbs for distance, and then finally, 240 lbs stone over bar at 50". I feel great for all events and will post photos, vidclips and results here as soon as I can. I will also backtrack and post my New Hampshire win. For the past month, I have only focused on my training and relaxation, so I put my website(s) and other business endeavors on a brief hold. I appreciate each and every one of you that follow me here on this blog and my Facebook account, as well as my websites, and thank you from the bottom of my heart for your devoted support.

I am very blessed to have made it this far, and would like to thank everyone and the Universe that has that has conspired in getting me here today. Many sentient beings have helped me in my journey to where I am at this moment in time. I am living my dream...and, as always, stay tuned to the Steel Universe! Aho, Ponca-sa

North America's Strongest Woman