If you are like myself and frequent the gym on a regularly basis, you should be familiar with what posterior chain exercises are and their importance in building strength. If not, read on to find out some of best posterior chain exercises that you may be missing out on.

What is the posterior chain?

The posterior chain makes up a large group of muscles to the rear of the body. These are the muscles that you cannot visually see if you are standing facing a mirror. Muscle groups involved are the Scapula, Rhomboids, Trapezius, Spinea Erectors, Glutes, Hamstrings and Calves. There are other smaller supporting muscles groups too, but you get the general idea.

What are the benefits of a strong posterior chain?

According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, lower back pain is the second most common disability in the US. With an estimated 149 million days of work due to chronic lower back pain.The total expenditure on health care varies, but the general consensus is that approximately $90 billion dollars is spent on the diagnosis and management of lower back pain.

It could be argued that these astounding figures are contributed to by modern day life. In todays modern society, we drive everywhere, use escalators, lifts and spend numerous hours in a seated position. The human race has gotten lazy, and the outcome is weakness and poor posture.

If muscles are not used they become weak. Sitting for hours slouched over a desk, creates bad posture, combine gravity with bad posture and you have chronic back pain for life.

How do we combat chronic back pain?

Strength training, especially the muscles of the posterior chain, can reduce and completely alleviate the symptoms of lower back pain. This is because strengthening and correcting posture abnormalities by training the muscles of the posterior chain will keep you fit, mobile and functioning optimally well into old age.

Not only do the muscles of the posterior chain play an integral support system for the spinal column. The posterior muscles also increase the performance of athletes, protecting them from injuries. Pushing, pulling, punching, running, jumping all require the muscle of the posterior chain.

If I was to make one recommendation to people I often see training in the gym. I would advice them to pay more attention to the muscles they can’t see (posterior chain) over the ones they can see (anterior chain). Unfortunately in most gym settings, it is usually the opposite. The muscles that are visually noticeable, Pectorals, Deltoids, Quadriceps, Biceps, Abdominals are often the preferred muscle groups. Bench press lovers, you know who you are!

Best posterior chain exercises

  • Romanian Deadlift x 5 sets
  • 45 Degree Hyper Extension x 5 sets
  • Lying Leg Curl x 5 sets
  • Prowler Sled 3 sets
  • Heavy Kettlebell Swings x 5 sets

There are many other exercises that work the muscles of the posterior chain. Good Mornings, Rack Deadlifts, Sumo Deadlifts, Reverse Hypers, Glute Bridge, Hip Thrusts, Box Squats, Glute Ham Raises, Nordic Curls. The workout above is one of my favorites, as I feel it encompasses as many muscles of the posterior chain as possible, in only five movements.

Want to increase strength, become faster, more powerful and most of all stay injury free.

Then I recommend training the posterior chain twice a week. This will help rectify any muscular imbalances, improve posture and strengthen the surrounding muscles that support the spine.

I hope you found this article helpful. Please remember to subscribe and follow me on any of my social media channels.

When not on tour, I’m either training or stuck behind my laptop catching up on emails. Now and then I attempt to organize, file and clear up my desktop from the endless clutter. During my recent clear-out, I came across an old kettlebell workout video from a year ago. filmed on Christmas day in the gorgeous Mijas hills of Marbella, at Mikes Gym.

If you love hardcore Crossfit workouts, brutal assault courses and consider yourself a badass. Definitely check out Mikes Gym in Marbella.

Kettlebell Fitness

If I had to choose one piece of training equipment to purchase, it would be kettlebells. This is because they are extremely versatile and can be used for all aspects of fitness, flexibility, strength, hypertrophy and all round conditioning. More females should workout with kettlebells, as conditioning workouts is the fastest way to obtaining a hot toned beach body.

Personally I like to program kettlebells into my current workouts, and create a sort of hybrid kettlebell program. kettlebell training helps me with my conditioning. In other words cardio, which in turn increases my endurance for wrestling! I also like to be an all rounder, adding variation to my training and not just being a one trick pony.

Top three reasons why you should workout with kettlebells

Diversity
 : From cleans to swings, to press, pull and lift movements. You will never be short of exercises, nor have any excuse to be bored with the endless choice of exercises for complexes and workouts. If you have an at home gym, kettlebells are money well invested if they are used correctly of course.

Challenging : 
How do you do cardio? I say lift weights faster. Training with kettlebells incorporates, strength training and cardiovascular endurance simultaneously. A sequence of kettlebell exercises similar to a circuit is usually the best way to achieve this desired effect. If you have ever heard the term HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training), kettlebells are a perfect training tool for HIIT training. Shorts bursts of high intensity exercise followed by a low intensity period.

Effective : Kettlebells reduce the risk of injury, by stabilizing the joints and elongating the muscles. They also strengthen the core due to the constant need to engage these muscles during many movements. Explosive power, strength, improvements in coordination and flexibility can all be contributed to working with kettlebells.

Below I have designed a kettlebell program a hybrid, incorporating a mix of kettlebells and body weight. The benefits of such a workout is that it increases strength, stability, flexibility and cardiovascular fitness. The best kettlebell workout will only take a maximum of thirty minutes to complete depending on the number of rounds you complete.

Best Kettlebell Workout

  1. Heavy Kettlebell Swings x 30 secs
  2. Double Kettlebell Row x 30 secs
  3. Double Kettlebell Romanian Deadlift x 30 secs
  4. Deficit Kettlebell Reverse Lunge x 30 secs each side
  5. Single Leg Burpee w/Press x 30 secs each side
  6. Prone Bridge x 30 secs

Take a 2 min rest after completing all exercises. Try to move from one exercise to another without resting, complete 3 – 5 rounds in total. You might find it helpful to time each exercise using an interval timer or app. If you find the first round easy, increase the time to 45 secs on each exercise, however be warned, you might regret this decision!

I hope you enjoyed the best kettlebell workout, please remember to subscribe for further updates. View more strength workouts by Sara.

Lift carry is one of the most popularly read category’s on my blog. It has always been that way since the launch of Sara Lips Wrestling. With over 15,000 users on landcforum, a forum dedicated solely to women lifting men, it comes as no surprise.

Despite the huge phenomenon of women lifting men, however, you will be hard pushed to find many articles on the subject online. Pictures and videos of women lifting men there is an abundance of, but true to life factual evidence on what the fetish is and how it came about is left to the imagination.

Over the course of the past twelve to eighteen months, I would say I have now carried out somewhere in between fifty to one hundred lift carry sessions, I love it. The more sessions I do, the more of an insight I get. The thinking and psychology behind lift carry and sometimes I even learn some new lifts too!

Lift Carry, Tips, Pointers and Experience

Tips for the best lift carry session, is something I feel could be beneficial to help better ones session experience. Especially if perhaps, you are new to the scene and booking your first ever lift carry session. This is because everyone reacts differently in sessions to being lifted and if there was one thing I could change about my lift carry sessions, it would be consistency of form.

In an effort to improve on the professionalism of my sessions. I therefore thought it would be beneficial to you, if I share my secret tips, to the best lift carry session ever!

Lifting weights that are balanced equally in a gym environment is one thing, lifting a unsymmetrical object that changes with each session is another. The fact that this object i.e you can move during the lift, also changes the entire bio-mechanics of the lift.

Lets do it the right way – BE HONEST!

Firstly, the most obvious thing to do when booking a lift carry session, is to inform the girl in question of your weight and height. I cannot stress this enough, how important it is that you are honest. Why? Because, sometimes a few pounds can make all the difference to you being held in your favorite hold, cradle carry especially. So tell the truth! Weigh yourself the day you email and tell the girl in question your exact weight on that day. You may think we can’t tell if you lie, but we can, especially if the girl frequents the gym a lot like myself. We know what 70, 80, 90kg etc looks and feels like.

The lifts, the do’s and dont’s

Various lifts are involved in lift carry sessions each with their own set of risks. Lift Carry holds include cradle carry, fireman lift, piggy back, shoulder ride, front carry, over the shoulder, human leg press, bear hug, back breaker etc.

Below, I outline the most common faults I have experienced in sessions and pointers on how to correct these.

Cradle carry

This involves standing side on in front of the girl, the girl bends down and places one arm at the back of you knees and the other around your upper back. You are often then scoped up into her arms, representing that of a cradle. Things to remember, do exactly as the girl instructs. Never and I repeat never jump up into her arms. You may think this is helping, but its really not as she will not be expecting this to happen.

Common Mistakes: Jumping into the girls arms, putting strain on her back by the sudden impact of jumping. We are perfectly capable of lifting you! Standing with your feet too far apart making it more difficult for us to get a good grip of your legs.

Pointers : Try to bend your knees pushing your hips back as if you were going to do a partial squat, and keep your feet tight together. This will assist the girl in keeping both of your legs within her arms, while at the same time bringing your center of gravity lower towards the floor.

cradle carry

Piggy back / Front carry

Both of these lifts are similar in nature, the piggy back starts with you behind the girl, she will perform a partial squat, while at the same time instructing you to place one leg at a time over her hips. She will secure both legs and stands upright into a piggy back position. You will maintain your posture by holding onto the girls shoulders or wrapping your arms lightly around her upper chest.

The front carry is the same lift with one difference, this time you face the girl. Your legs should still be placed around the girls hips and arms generally placed over the shoulders and interlocked, creating a sort of bear hug.

Common Mistakes: I never quite understand this one, but the sheer amount of guys who seem to feel the need to scissor the life out of me as I lift them is quite amazing. Some guys can also be sloppy in form by not putting your arms around the girls neck/shoulders.

Pointers : Again there is the temptation to jump onto the girls back, DON’T! As, this can cause injury. There may be a slight issue if you have booked a session with an amazonian goddess who is over six foot and you on the other hand are five foot five. Climbing everest might be easier than trying to climb onto her back. She will be well versed however in this challenge and will probably suggest using a chair to assist.

No body scissors please!

Also, as already mentioned, do not scissor the girl when she has lifted you. Yes you can clamp your legs around her to make things more comfortable for her. However if you squeeze her hard this will limit the moment of her hips, preventing her from walking freely with you. Performing squats and perhaps even breathing can become difficult, secure your arms properly.

Fireman lift / Over the shoulder

The first of the two lifts needs no introduction, I think everyone knows what a fireman’s lift is.

A fireman’s carry or fireman’s lift is a technique allowing one person to carry another person without assistance, by placing the carried person across the shoulders of the carrier, Firemans Lift.

Over the shoulder is very similar and some might argue that they are the same. While the fireman lift has the body placed across the shoulders. The over the shoulder lift places the body directly over one shoulder and not across both. In the images below you can clearly see the difference. Huge Jackman is performing an over the shoulder lift and in the image to the right the fireman’s lift.

firemans lift

Common mistakes: The most common mistake I experience with the fireman’s lift is that guys tend to bend their arm, failing to keep it straight.

Pointers : Both lifts are relatively safe, however the key point to remember is relax. Remember this lift is usually done when people are unconscious. Let your body go flaccid, this will help the girl in pivoting your body across or over her shoulder. During the fireman’s lift, one arm should remain extended in front of the girls body. The girl will then grasp your wrist securing the lift and holding you in position.

Shoulder ride

With out a doubt the most dangerous lift carry variation of them all. The goal is to sit directly on top of the girls shoulders with your crotch resting at the back of her head.

To start the lift, the girl will place herself behind you and place her head between your thighs, next to your crotch. She will ask you to rest your hands back onto her shoulders for stability while she performs the lift. Next, which is the scariest bit, you are lifted from the floor in one movement until you are resting on top of her shoulders.

Assisted lift carry

Depending on your height and weight, she may sit down, for example on the end of a bed or a chair and ask you to place your legs over her shoulders. The lift is then started by simply rising from a sitting position to standing position.

Common Mistakes: For some reason basically everybody either tilts back or leans forward, causing an imbalance. For those of you, who perhaps have a bit of a tummy, by tilting forward, can put unnecessary pressure on the girls head. Which can cause the girl to become dizzy and light headed.

shoulder ride

Pointers : You will probably feel a sense of panic, especially if it is your first session. The height alone many find daunting. Trust the girl and follow her instructions. Try not to make any sudden movements as this will likely end in disaster, ending with the both of you in a heap on the floor. When the lift is finished, let the girl sit down or put herself in a kneeling position to let you down safely. Don’t jump OFF!

A great tip to help with stability during the shoulder ride. Draw your legs back and place your feet on the lower back / hips of the girl. The image on the right demonstrates this technique.

Women lifting men

I hope you found this article helpful. If you are maybe new to lift carry and thinking of booking your first session. If you follow the pointers above, this should help you have a very successful and enjoyable lift carry session.

Each girl will have a weight limit, this is why it is important to be honest about your weight when booking a session. My own personal limit is 190lbs, its not that I can’t lift more, but when a session is a generally a variety of lifts, its best to stay within your limits.

You may also be interested in reading an earlier article I wrote on the Biomechanics of Lift and Carry. You can also watch me in a previous video Beach Lift and Carry, filmed at Guardamar beach in Spain. Available on my YouTube channel.

Interested in booking a lift carry session, check out some of my Frequently Asked Questions.

Today, we take an in depth look at the topic of Chemistry vs Attraction. It is usually presumed that both of these predeterminers, is needed to form a successful relationship. The confusion many people face, however, in trying to  understand the difference between the two, is often fascinating.

Chemistry vs Attraction

Attraction – Attraction is achieved when a woman is:

A) turned on by you at least to some degree and

B) feels somewhat safe with you.

Whether or not a women feels safe with you is based solely on your behaviour during dates or a session. It is important to remember that there is a fine line between coming across as horny vs. being sexual. Often you will see men comment on forums, about how you’re YMMV, an abbreviation for your mileage may vary. Meaning, what a session girl allows in a session is usually dependant on she feels on the day during your encounter. Attraction can play a part in this.

Women generally do understand how men can become extremely horny, as they possess higher sex drives. Beware however; as they will not be extremely supportive of this and always opt for the more sexual guys. This is because being horny is threatening and a turn-off. Being sexual is attractive and safe.

Whether or not she feels attracted to you, will depend on how well you rank against that number based on your appearance and behaviour she has set in her head.

Attraction isn’t very complicated. If she likes you and feels at least somewhat safe, you’re in.

Chemistry

Chemistry, chemistry, chemistry … this sounds pretties much the same as attraction, however it is a whole different ball game! Chemistry is actually quite complicated and delicate. Remember this is why many men fail to make it past the first date!

Attraction, which we have already discussed, is the combination of being turned on and feeling safe.

Chemistry however is the combination of attraction and compliance to a predetermined checklist.

Attraction is an important key component of chemistry. After all, the lady in question does have to be attracted to you. However, once she’s attracted to you, she will need another layer of complexity. This specifically applies to older women as opposed to younger women, who you will find do not care just so much.

Chemistry is a checklist of qualities, the lady in question has preselected for her ideal boyfriend or husband.

So, how do I make chemistry? You don’t have to actually say something to violate a chemistry-seeker’s checklist. It’s very easy to destroy chemistry non verbally. Maybe you have a habit of breathing heavy, or making an annoying noise whilst chewing your food. Maybe the way you dress isn’t what she would visualize her ideal future boyfriend/husband wearing. So even if you carefully control everything you say during a first date, you can easily violate a woman’s checklist and make chemistry impossible.

Why did she not text back?

If you have ever been on a first date and text a women, who did not responded. If her girlfriend asked her about the date, she probably would have said something like this, “He is a nice guy but there just “wasn’t any chemistry.”

It’s not that she wasn’t attracted to you. She was! Unfortunately, you just simply violated a few items on her list, eliminating the feminine concept of “chemistry.”

The lesson to be learnt is therefore, not to get too hung up on chemistry!

Make it past the First Date!

Attraction is directly within your control. You have vast control over your physical appearance, your fashion, and how you behave on a first or second date. Of course you can’t have sex with any woman you want. However, by controlling these three variables, you can create attraction with a much higher percentage of women you meet

Chemistry, however, isn’t really within your realm of control. Since attraction is 50% of chemistry, you can improve your odds of chemistry a little by ensuring attraction more often. The problem is created because you don’t know the exact checklist of that woman sitting next to you at the bar or across from you on a first date.

The only way to ensure you create chemistry with a new woman is to extract a copy of her checklist from her brain, memorize it, and then make sure you do not say or do anything that violates anything her list.

I hope you enjoyed, if you enjoy my blog posts please feel free to subscribe to my blog and leave any comments you think are worth sharing.

Today, we ask the question, can independent women be successful in love ? Often know for being hard, cold and unapproachable. At a first glance we would think not. So, what is this main reason for their unsuccessfulness in love?

Attitude.

Attitude is often the biggest problem independent women face in relationships. Being perceived as cold can pose a problem but remember that being perceived as powerful and strong can often be deemed an attractive property and perhaps even play a factor as to how these women get themselves into a relationship.

Once a relationship, if extremely independent the continue to live there lives as they would do so when single, this can pose a problem. This is often how cracks start to appear in the relationship.

Can independent women be successful in love ?

In life there are three types of women in regards to independence!

1.THE PRINCESS

This is the weakest kind of women; she will need absolutely everything done for her in life. A drainer perhaps, she will sound something like “I don’t know how to, I can’t do that, help me…” These kinds of women are not very independent at all.

 2. ULTRA INDEPENDENT

These types of women are quite the opposite to that of the “princesses” in life. In fact, these won’t even ask for any kind of help.. These type of women are usually very independent hence the name and anything they say will usually resemble something like this – “ I can do it myself.”

This is when having an ultra independent attitude in a relationship can create problems. You are probably thinking, now this is not a bad way to be, self sufficient, un-needy etc. But ask yourself, if this women says, “I can do it myself” enough to her other half or perhaps a guy when she is starting out dating, would this cause a problem?

Of, course!

This is because guys need to feel masculine. No strong guy is going to want to be around a woman who never lets him take care of her. It’s almost the equivalent of cutting their balls off.

Fair enough, these women argue “I can do it myself”, but what if it was said that it is weak to have to do everything yourself. And further, that it is a method of validation having to prove how strong you are.

If you find yourself in this category for women, ask yourself what kind of man do you want to attract? Most will often say masculine, however admit they unfortunately attract the weaker kind of pussy men in life! Perhaps this is why.

3. THE ONE

And so the final kind of women, which is one level above being an “Ultra Independent” is the one who says “I know I can do it myself, but I know it’s a lot of fun if I can have someone else do it for me.”

This is the only kind of independent woman, who can survive in a relationship. Why Is this? It is because she understands. She gets it. It is strong to be served.

The Best CEO’s in life know how to utilize help. Those who cannot get past being able to give over power will never be able to grow their business or get past being an entrepreneur. This stands for relationships too.

It does not make a woman strong if she keeps men at arms length because she doesn’t need them – men need women and women need men, it’s as simple as that, life just isn’t as fun without them. Yes, we understand women don’t need men for happiness etc. A woman however should be sure to bring her man into her life – as they can’t have nearly as much fun, if they can’t be a man around you!

Strong women do not need to exert their ultra independence. They can accept help. Why? Because, when you are already independent you are showing that you are in the relationship because you want to be with the person, not because you need to be with them.

Allow yourself to be the vulnerable one in the relationship as you will always be strong enough to get through. Which is funny because come to thing of it, do dominatrix’s not allow men serve them?

I hope you enjoyed reading my article, if you have any comments, please share in the comment box below. Remember to check out any upcoming tours

If you ever frequent yourself with forums such as saradas. One of the most popular questions regarding lift and carry is, “are taller women better at lift and carry than smaller women?” Today we address this train of thought, particularly discussing how height may be relevant to each lift. Giving an insight to the advantages or disadvantages of the biomechanics of Lift and Carry.

Best Height for Lift and Carry?

There is no definitive answer to this question, the reason, there are many variations of lift and carry (fireman lift, cradle carry, piggy back). And, with each lift comes its own set of obstacles to overcome when performing the lift. For instance, there are also two people involved in the lift, unlike traditional strength feats where an obstacle of certain dimensions is lifted. Rarely do the dimensions of that obstacle change in strength feats, meaning that the set up for the lift rarely changes.

Lift and carry however is a whole different ball game. For example a female measuring 5 ft 5 inches tall, could have a client book a lift and carry, he measures over 6 feet tall, weighing 185lbs. As you can visualize the client is tall and slim in stature, while the female is much smaller. Due to the client being tall, this is actually not a disadvantage, quiet the opposite in fact. As, when performing a cradle carry and initiating the lift from the floor, with a taller client, this means that the female does not have to bend over as much, due to the extended leg length of the client. This places less load upon the back and the female who should be able to set a strong starting position.

A little of topic but relevant, now imagine the same scenario with a tall female as the lifter and client are both tall. The female due to her height will have to bend over further to reach the starting position of the lift. This can have a negative effect by placing additional load onto the spine.

In both cases each lifter has be trained in how to load the spine prior to commencing the lift. The first scenario would be a better set up with less risk of injury, however both girls are able to pull of the move successfully.

Challenging Circumstances

Now imagine two girls, who have lift and carry sessions booked, both living at either sides of the world. One session wrestler is 6foot 2 inches tall amazonian with long arms and legs that seem to go on forever. The other session wrestler is 5 foot 4 inches tall, with legs and arms in proportion to her body, but has small hands.

The client in question for both girls measures 5 foot 5 inches tall and weighs 200lbs. Both girls have lifted this weight before in previous sessions, however, the previous client weighing 200lbs was alot taller.

Can Height be an Advantage?

Here is when height can become more of a derivative factor in regards to lift and carry. The smaller girl will have the advantage when performing most of the lifts due to her height, meaning that she will not have to bend over or crouch down as low to initiate the lifts. However, remember the client is small and overweight, so the width and circumference of the client is a lot greater than that of the taller slimmer client.

This can cause a serious problem if the session wrestler cannot manage to wrap her arms around the client. This would very likely be the case in the cradle carry, so the taller girl with longer arms would have the advantage here of being able to scoop her client up into her arms. Meanwhile the smaller girl could have difficulty due to the length of her arms and at the same time having smaller hands.

Hopefully now you can see that lift and carry is quite a complex subject. Meaning there is not just one answer that fits all, to the question “are taller women better at lift and carry than smaller women?”

Biomechanics of Lift and Carry

If we come away briefly from the topic of lift and carry and look at the traditional deadlift. Just like lift and carry, there are height advantages and disadvantages to performing the deadlift. This time we are referring to an obstacle that’s dimensions stay the same. Lever length is so important in when performing big lifts.

Another example, you have a male who is 5 foot 8 inches tall with long legs and short arms. His torso is also a little longer in length giving him a long spine.

You would assume that not being tall would have the advantage, however this is not the case. As the lifter has short arms a long torso and long legs. The biomechanics of this lifter would not be advantageous to the traditional deadlift. Meaning he will have to tilt and hinge at the hips more to be able to reach the bar, placing additional load onto the spine.

Each individual have their own advantages and disadvantages

So, what is the ideal biomechanics for the deadlift? A lifter with short legs and long arms is at an advantage, when performing the deadlift. This is because it enables the lifter to reach the bar without having to tilt over as much as the lifter with short arms and long legs. This in turn will keep the torso more upright, placing less load onto spine. This type of set up is ideal for performing the deadlift, maximising the amount weight lifted.

Overall, there are many points to consider when talking about the biomechanics of lift and carry. Particularly when relating to the object – client changing with every session. For this reason it would be extremely difficult to say YES to taller or smaller women being better at lift and carry, as this would not be the case.

Each session wrestler faces their own challenges when it comes to lift and carry. Every session comes with its own advantages and disadvantages unique to each lift. With much experience over the years, I am sure many of the girls have it down to a fine art. Knowing what is, or is not realistic to do in a session. One thing for sure though guys, is be sure to always be honest about your weight 😉

Last night, I went out with a group of friends or rather muscular women for dinner. Naturally, we where greeted at the door by the waiter and shown to our table. At this point as we were seated, the waiter said straight off to us “you are strong”, while mimicking a bicep pose.

We just laughed it off and proceeded to order drinks as normal. No sooner later however, another waiter came to our table and basically said the same thing. One of my friends remarked, do we stick out like sore thumbs here. This then got me thinking, are muscular women attractive or Taboo?

Muscular Women

When you enter the world of bodybuilding professional or amateur, strength and conditioning or even simple free weight training to enhance body composition – we become caught in the perpetual problem, that of PERCEPTION.

Naturally as we continue to train, our body composition changes (for the better of course). However this still seems to be something that society is challenged by i.e the thought of “women with muscles”. Let’s face it overly toned or muscular women in society today are still taboo, unheard off. As much as we have moved with the times…

The attention professional female bodybuilders must therefore draw to themselves both positive and negative. I can therefore only imagine.

It takes a strong-minded person however to become a professional bodybuilder, due to the work and dedication required, especially for pro cards. I am sure they can therefore handle the pressure, however for the normal girl trying to enhance her physical appearance, such attention can still make room for her to query the don’t lift too heavy or you will get bulky myth.

Just leave me alone

The difference is that fitness competitors/bodybuilders usually don’t care just as much about PERCEPTION, after all they have consciously chose to sculpt their bodies this way. The point I am trying to get across, is that normal girls should not have to feel they should care or let others views affect there decisions.

Bodybuilders are therefore unique, as because they intend to compete. They are purposely trying to sculpt their bodies to fit their preferred aesthetic/shape. Increasing muscle mass, striving towards perfect symmetry and that “ripped look.” Due to these sculpted figures, these muscular women are therefore always exposed in public, no matter what. Even when clothed.

muscular womenOf course they can wear baggy tracksuits but what’s attractive about that? And, if they wear tight skinny jeans or leggings their big boots give it away and boulders for shoulders in lose strappy tops. Bodybuilders and fitness competitors have silhouettes that stand out from the rest of society. So this means they can’t help but gain attention – positive or negative, whether they are not seeking it or not!

What I am discussing here isn’t a problem, however it just provoked me to think about what it must be like to walk in the shoes of an actual professional female bodybuilder such as Alina popa. Always bare, exposed, naked… These girls are vulnerable to an insane amount of unwanted attention. In ways we cannot comprehend -from snide remarks made in public, to trolling on the Internet.

That’s not even getting into the psychological assumptions made from the people regarding their lifestyle or behavior patterns etc. Being a remarkably muscular woman consequently leaves these girls exposed to a whole range of stereotypes and prejudices.

We are not all equal

Women are not expected to be as physically dominant as their male counterparts. Contrary, muscles are therefore another part of the body that separates masculinity from femininity. When a woman is seen with big muscles, it is seen as breaking the norm of society. FBB’s and muscular females challenge our perceptions about the difference between gender roles.

Muscle on women therefore doesn’t just expose who she is, but also who we are. Our beliefs, traditions and behaviors put on display.

I hope you enjoyed my blog post guys and thanks for reading. Remember you can check out lots of muscular girls here, as well as my own tour dates.

I feel like I am treading on thin territory as I write about this subject matter, however, it is a something that has been increasingly on my mind. We all know that sex sells. This is certainty something which has been embedded into me when studying marketing and communications at university. What is concerning however is, since when did sex come into sport?

Of course being healthy and in good shape is what makes us attractive. I am not going to argue with that. Today, however, I feel the meaning of attractiveness in relation health and sport has been taken to a whole new level of superficial i.e that of soft porn – the kind of put on a stick and eat it sort of thing…

And, before you think, Sara’s going off on a rant, I just want to ask you to please bare with me. I ensure I am not and hope you will see where I am going with this!

SEX SELLS

Imagery

When a subject is presented in a certain manner, the meaning of a photograph can often change. Great photographers know this, and therefore direct their subjects as needed. This means things can be distorted or exaggerated to look at there best.

Little do you realize then, that those girls asses who look good enough to eat, are usually overarching there back so much that they could resemble a constipated duck from side angle.

Such angles help produce great pictures for you guys to ogle over, however unfortunately means it does mean there is much of real imagery left out there and perhaps why many complain nothing is left to the imagination anymore! Their skin is also usually flawless without a blemish or onze of cellulite in sight.

sex sells

The main problem I have with the pornification of the fitness industry, however, is not the perception of it as flawless. Superficial and based on beauty, but the fact these faces can become fitness guru’s at a snap.

Fitness guru’s

These girls who feature cover to cover on fitness magazines, websites or social media are not professionals giving advice.

In fact, fitness magazines don’t help us get fit anymore. Gazing at the images of breasts implants, latino buttocks and bulging biceps. The impression of how fit bodies should look, and that every body needs to be shaped in the same light. This is not healthy and unfortunately what fitness magazines use to “inspire” women.

What we don’t realize is that when we are looking at the faces and bodies of these women’s physiques in magazines, most of them have dieted for months to look this way. Perhaps are days prior to a contest where they have put themselves through rigorous training, dieting and ahem usually supplements to lean out. Or, some are just pure genetics freaks, for instance Jen Selter.

Its all a Lie, trust nothing

The annoying thing is that the workouts in these magazines are usually false. Not a true reflection, of what these girls have put themselves through to look the way they do. To me, the imagery screams sex and forgets about all the rest, which happens behinds, the scene. It’s hard work! Doing body weight squats, does jack shit. If you want to make it as a fitness or physique model….

To me this is perhaps one of the most bothersome parts, because fusing fitness with sex and stamping the whole package with words like “strength” or “dedication” conditions viewers and participants to see those terms solely in that light.

sex sells“Dedication” becomes a matter of 4:30am workouts and Tupperware meals of chicken and broccoli, “inspiration” gets measured in pounds and inches lost, and “health” is seen as a consuming regime of workouts and diets and supplements and the occasional skimpy bikini. It makes people think that these over sexualized images demonstrate the pinnacle of fitness and health, and insinuates that they should be a goal towards which we strive. When in fact it is something these girls usually only do for a few weeks in the year and once many have done a show & won the title desired, usually never want to go back on stage again because of the hard work involved. Or, else thrive of the buzz from it and the hard work and focus required, when in the “zone”.

One size fits all

“Strong is the new skinny” is also the new in thing, but women should not be forced to pick between the two. We all come in different shapes and sizes and if you were to ask us women, we usually don’t really have a choice between the two. It is hard to accept, but people should learn to embrace this.

I for one have always struggled with my weight and hoover around eleven stone; now I accept and work with what I have. That is a large bone structure and wide shoulders, but nothing can change this. It’s just me, my make up and something my mums side of the family have passed down to me.

So what I am trying to say is that, it should not matter what shape you are. You can only develop from what you have naturally. I applaud the thin whippets who are futile and agile on the mats, most likely have high metabolisms and will never be fat. And, I also respect those big beautiful women who give it all just as much as the bodybuilders in life. Leading me onto why many women enter sport.

It’s a choice

Many women who enter fitness, sport or bodybuilding usually do so due to their competitive nature. We usually have athletic backgrounds and enjoy the challenge. What should be noted is that those that are generally sporty or have an interest do not usually do this for fame or recognition, but for us.

Bodybuilding is often termed as a dying sport. So much respect should be given to the hard work the women put in to achieve such physiques, to me this should not be forgot about when sexualized.

The result can be very athletically pleasing to the eye, however bodybuilding is so much more than just this. They are athletes who love their sport. The rewards are also limited, yet these women participate knowing it is a way they can accomplish their goals. Behind closed doors aside from the little rewards, they can also often face rejection from society, isolation to small social scenes who understand them, and routine to hard work and dedication required. These physiques do not come easily!

Serious athletes, who these women are, do not care what others think. If they did they would not continue in a sport, which many feel women do not belong in. If people find them sexy that’s of little relevance.  They are pushing themselves physically and mentally to the limit to be the best at their sport, and not to satisfy observers. Some women even disregard judging criteria all together and present their physiques the way they think appropriate.

Women know what they are doing

On the other hand, it cannot be argued that us women do not know what we are doing. The fitness industry involves competitions, training, sponsorships, and of course our fan base. If there is such “pornification” within the fitness industry, we must realise it cannot be solely blamed on men. As, us women do use it to our advantage, however, we must realise our need to be aware of our own actions and take responsibility for such.

sex sellsSession wrestling is such an example and while it may not exactly be pornography or prostitution, controversy can be made about the subject. For instance, muscle worship sessions cater to men who have a fetish for strong or muscular women and muscular women can make money from this.

This is because it enables them to make more of a living from this than from their competitions and you will find most female bodybuilders, fitness, physique and athletic girls do it even under the radar. It helps cover competition costs, supplements, and other expenses.

Money talks and sex sells

Opinion is divided on the matter, but us women have thought of a way to circumvent certain barriers in a sport that is hostile to us. Female bodybuilders or sport athletes have few financial avenues available to them and this practice is a method which helps sustain a number of high quality athletes. As, it should be noted that women are still often paid lower than their male counterparts, in completions and sport.

Sessions does however allow fans to meet us up close and personal, which can be a big thing to many fans of pro bodybuilders or certain girls in the wrestling scene. Who can almost be like mini Celebes in their fans eyes, who get to live out their fantasies in reality. What is the chances you would get to book a session with Jeremy Clarkson to go car shopping or Jamie Oliver to learn how to cook? Zero. I therefore think that sessions should be applauded as it keeps people grounded, with their feet on the ground and allows many bodybuilders etc. to be in touch with their fans.

Women will always been seen as sex objects

Sexualisation in sport or fitness is inevitable, as admirers see in their eyes some of the best-developed bodies on the planet. The real problem is not that fans see these women are attractive, but when this is the only aspect considered important. These women are great athletes and they should be valued for their accomplishments.

Session wrestling and muscle worship I believe, however, allows for the real women to shine through. Many who have experienced a session, will vouch with me and say. Once they have experienced a session with a special lady have found them really intelligent and more than just bimbos. I have heard such remarks of intelligence for the likes or FBB Lisa Cross, Alina popa and Anna M Stong. Some of which are even married, have children, are studying degrees or even have other jobs. These fans do not just see them as objects.

Publishers

se sellsRelevant to the fitness industry, however, is the publishing companies that exploit athletes to readers. Women have little say in the creative production, process, and distribution of these photographs/footage they are in.

Tosca Reno, publisher of various fitness magazines, even hit out at the portrayal of fitness in her article “The pornification of fitness needs to stop” for Huffington Post. It was somewhat hypocritical though as she forgot to add that see she owns Oxygen Magazine, Clean Eating Magazine, and The Eat Clean Diet where the women on the front covers could be argued to be objectified. She is in a position where she “pornify’s” women on these magazine covers. However, it’s proves that sex sells and it may be a case of the market may force her hand even though she hates it.

When I take a look at these images from the porn industry and compare them to those from the fitness industry- I am sad to say I see no difference except for muscle. For an athlete that has dedicated their life to the art of exercise, this phenomenon has become an insult. Sex is one of the most beautiful, powerful, and natural aspects of our humanity. But like any power, it can be used in cheap and sleazy ways that don’t truly honor its awesomeness.

These days, it seems it is not enough to be strong, intelligent, healthy, educated or a great coach. You must be smokin’ hot. Like so hot you can’t even focus on the exercise I’m currently doing

What do you think?

If on the one hand these women pose sexually AND still have sound information and knowledge to share, then I’m okay with it. Let’s be honest, we all have sex, and we’re all attracted to other human beings.

BUT, on the other hand, when a trainer’s workout and routines, becomes MORE about showing skin and sexual poses, and less about the actual routine or accomplishments – I have a problem. To be honest there are quite a few women out there who if they weren’t naked, would have no one listening to them.

Personally I have a simple test: I close my eyes and listen to a supposed fitness professional talk and describe a workout or what they are trying to get across. Obviously I can’t see them, but if what they say resonates, makes sense, and their verbal cues paint a picture in my head. Then I think it’s safe to say that that person is great at what they do.

But if you’re totally lost and can’t make sense of what they’re saying, I say they stink. Now open your eyes and see what you’re looking at. Are they scantily clad, moaning seductively throughout their reps, OR dressed in fitness gear, talking through the workout, showing personality and cuing viewers? There’s a big difference. I guess, you guys could say the same for sessions and sessionettes personalities.

People are more than just their bodies

As a pro­fes­sional in the fit­ness and enter­tain­ment indus­tries with a degree in adver­tis­ing, not only do I wit­ness both the cause and the effect of the media mes­sages, I see who makes the con­tent deci­sions and know how they go about mak­ing them and mar­ket­ing them to the pub­lic. Most of the time the deci­sions are based in sales and con­sumerism, i.e. ‘what head­line can we use that will sell the most mag­a­zines?’ or ‘how can we con­vince the pub­lic that our prod­uct is the best?’ Call it what you want in the name of mar­ket­ing, but in all hon­esty, its just decep­tion.

I believe we’ve gotten lazy in our search for truth. Fit­ness is just one exam­ple of this. We don’t know how to take care of our bod­ies, so we buy a mag­a­zine or a weight loss pill, or trust the health web­site that showed up on the first page of Google. We neglect to ask for sources.

Speaking the truth

My inten­tion in writ­ing this is not to bash other ath­letes, or mag­a­zines, or the media…but it is to cre­ate an aware­ness of the big­ger pic­ture we’re paint­ing a soci­ety – sex sells; a warn­ing of what our seem­ingly insignif­i­cant daily choices and social media voices are slowly man­i­fest­ing. We are a cul­ture so obsessed with our­selves that we are blind to how it truly affects oth­ers around us.

My inten­tion here is sim­ply to share what I observe from the per­spec­tive of some­one who is on both sides of the spec­trum, a cre­ator and con­sumer. As a cre­ator I see how fitness begins with good inten­tions, but quickly ego takes the place of good inten­tions and the images that were meant to encour­age and inspire now cre­ate arro­gance, envy, body hate by com­par­i­son, and a mock­ery of mod­esty as images grad­u­ally shift from inno­cent ‘progress self­ies’ to what is arguably soft-porn.

The lines are blurred

sex sellsSo where do I stand now? How do I main­tain integrity and pas­sion for the indus­try I love when I see it for the dark­ness it has become, void of value and rid­dled with the insa­tiable par­a­sites of com­par­i­son, envy, and nar­cis­sism?

How can I bear to sup­port the fit­ness indus­try when the lines of healthy, are so blurred. Why can’t we just train hard, not to the point of total destruc­tion. Enjoy are healthy bod­ies that help us lead full lives, instead of using hot bod­ies to col­lect com­pli­ments, feed ego, and fan the flames of lust and human objectification?

I do what I do for me, I love meeting fans, getting stronger. Working on my skills and seeing the bigger picture to life. As long as my actions only affect me and not others I will continue to be the real me for who I am. Always step back and ask yourself what is your identity, do not get lost and wrapped up with all the rest for what they want. Fly your flag and with them or work, alone or for who you want to but have respect for yourself and each other. Your flag is your IDENTITY.

Today I have one of those posts, where it was hard to hit the publish button. I was/am hesitant to share my thoughts, however took a deep breath, held it and hit the Publish button after all!

My latest workout Rack Deadlifts Harder Faster Stronger, involves just ONE exercise – The Rack Deadlift. I absolutely love deadlifts. There are many versions of the deadlift, Sumo, Jefferson, Hex Bar, Romania, Standard Deadlifts and Rack Deadlift.

All deadlifts are excellent for strengthening the posterior chain, which is advantageous for performing lift and carry and wrestling. The posterior chain includes the, biceps femoris, gluteus maximus, erector spinae, trapezius, and the posterior deltoids. All of these muscle groups play an essential role in lifting movements.

Most people think that when lifting something heavy, you need to bend at the knees, when in actual fact hinging at the hips with slight knee flexion is the correct position. This allows the muscles of the  hamstrings to contract taking the load.

This technique is referred to as the hip hinge. Once perfected, allows huge poundages to be lifted safely, eliminating the pressure from the lower back.

This was my first time performing Rack Deadlifts in months. I felt strong and the rack was free, so what waste the opportunity of testing my strength. I maxed out at 120kg for 2 reps, I had been hoping for more since I had lifted 135kg using the Hex bar, I was therefore a little disappointed.

Rack Deadlifts Harder Faster Stronger

Thankfully my new gym, Marinasenses in La Marina, Spain has everything I need. It is surprising how many gyms do not have a power cage or squat rack. These are in my opinion essential pieces of equipment every gym should have.

I am very excited to be in the early stages of planning my first ever US tour, for hopefully around September/October time this year. New York, California and Las Vegas are all areas I want to visit. So, I want to be in the best condition I can be for you guys and of course summer here in Spain. Hitting the gym hard with a combination of strength training and conditioning work.

More new tours are in the pipeline for Europe also, I am certainly a busy girl at the minute, maybe superwomen does exist- just kidding. I just want to say a thank you to all who have contacted me to book sessions, expressed interest, paid deposits, bought custom videos, donated or even dropped me a line to say you like my work!  If you are not sure where I will be heading to next be sure to check out my tour page.