Tag: Nutrition

Body Transformation: Kim Sanders (Kimpossible Fitness)

It’s time for another inspirational body transformation interview–Kim Sanders.  This mother of two went from being overweight and out of shape to being a fitness competitor and personal trainer.  I was really stunned with her before/after pictures and I wanted to hear her story.

Body Transformation: Kim Sanders
Body Transformation: Kim Sanders

MuscleReview: Kim, I’d first like to thank you for taking the time to do this interview. Why don’t you tell my readers a little bit about your everyday life (family, work, location, etc).

Kim: My life is VERY hectic! Most days I don’t know how I manage to get everything done.  I wake up every morning, see my kids sleeping and think to myself, “Oh my god they are still alive!” (laughs).

Because I work as a personal trainer my daily schedule changes constantly. Clients call and cancel, reschedule, kids throw tantrums etc. Each day, regardless of what struggles head my way, I have to complete 45 minutes of cardio, train myself, train clients, spend quality time with my kids, cook, clean, do laundry, write online client’s programs etc. Pretty soon I will be starting school as well, so I don’t have a free moment to waste!

My children can be very difficult. My oldest son can be VERY emotional at times…which is always fun! My youngest has special needs and everyday proves to be a new challenge. I love them dearly and its because I love them that I cannot give up on my goals. I want them to see how hard I work to make my dream come true.  That way they will have have big dreams and be prepared to fight just as hard!

MuscleReview: Let’s talk about the “before” picture. What events and/or choices led you there?

Kim: Growing up my family ate fast food constantly–sometimes I tell people my family kept Taco Bell in business. Soda replaced water and the only veggies we seemed to eat were every color except green! Because we were low income my sisters and I could not play sports or get into most of the activities kids get to do.  I was actually a skinny kid growing up, but the bad habits eventually caught up with me.

All through both pregnancies I ate 4-5 items off the Taco Bell menu EVERYDAY! In addition to not being active my health got worse and worse. I became deathly ill and even temporarily lost my ability to walk due to illness.  All these factors lead to me looking like that “before” picture.  It wasn’t until I had completely destroyed my gallbladder and had to have emergency surgery that I was able to push myself to change.

MuscleReview: What was it that made you decide to transform your figure?

I couldn’t stand seeing so many fit people around me who were so much happier and healthier. I would get out of breath walking to my car!! I missed the energy I had a teenager. I picked up Oxygen Magazine and instantly was inspired by the stories inside about women who had lost weight and went on to be fitness models. I knew if they could do it…I could do it.

MuscleReview: Did you hit any weight loss plateaus along the way? What adjustments did you have to make?

Kim: It took me about 2 and a half years to get into competition shape. It felt like forever! I had tons of set backs and most days I didn’t think I would ever make it. I kept pushing on because I knew if I stopped Id regret it for the rest of my life.

Overall I lost 106 lbs. Obviously I have put some of it back on and have gained more muscle. I am always working to improve!

MuscleReview: What was the most challenging part of your transformation?

Kim: Learning to balance kids, work, school, and training. Its very difficult trying to excel in every aspect of my life.  Some days I don’t do well, but I never stop trying and I figure that is what truly matters.

MuscleReview: Did you hit any plateaus along the way? How did you handle it?

Kim: Oh heck ya I did! Heck, I’m in one now (laughs)! I’ve learned that plateaus are caused by a number of things. I always look to change my diet first. If that doesn’t seem to work I will change up my workouts as well. I also add or reduce cardio, depending on what kind of results I’m getting.

In my current plateau I have explored all of those options and am now looking to have my blood checked to make sure my last contest prep didn’t mess anything up. We shall see.

MuscleReview: Can you give us general idea of what your training and diet look like?

Kim: I train 7 days a week at the moment. I only take a rest day when I feel my body is asking for one.  Two days a week I focus on HIIT. The other 5 days I focus on low intensity or interval cardio with weights. I keep my rep ranges between 8 and 12 on all compound movements and 15-30 on other exercises.

My diet consists of lean proteins (chicken, fish, bison), green veggies (green beans, asparagus), and complex carbohydrates (sweet potato, rice).

MuscleReview: How different is your competition shape to your day-to-day shape?

Roughly I plan to be 20 lbs less when contest ready. I intend to get down to 10-12% body fat.

MuscleReview: When is your next competition?

August 23rd!!! Las Vegas! Wooohooo! Wish me luck!

MuscleReview: What advice do you have for moms who want to get back in shape?

Kim: Don’t allow kids, and crazy schedules to get in the way! Get creative and find ways to involve your kids in your fitness! Most of all…DONT STOP!!

MuscleReview: Thanks again, Kim, and I wish you great success on your future competitions (especially this next one).

Note:  Ladies who are interested in their own transformations may want to check out my recommended programs and find one that matches your situation and goals.

Please stop by Kimpossible Fitness Training (Kim’s Facebook page).  Those of you living in the Phoenix Arizona area may want to contact her regarding personal training.

Best Way to Build Muscle

The Deadiift
The Deadlift

 

Every once in a while I feel the need to write a “back to the basics” kind of article–something that will help beginner trainees who may happen to visit this blog for the first time.  Let’s talk about the best way to build muscle.  Here are some basic tips that you’ll see repeated time and again by coaches and trainers who know their stuff:

*Learn to deadlift.  This is probably the all-around best mass building exercise there is.  Lifting something off the floor trains muscles literally from the feet all the way up to the neck: calves, thighs, back, etc.

*Build your routine around basic, compound lifts: deadlift, squat, front squat, bench press, military press, dips, etc.  The most important key to building muscle is getting stronger in these exercises.  Isolation exercises like curls are OK, but your foundation of size and strength will be built upon the basic lifts I’ve mentioned.  You’ll find that most bodybuilders (especially the old-school guys) were incredibly strong.

*Stick with the 5-8 rep range.  You can experiment with higher reps once you have a little more training experience and learn the proper form.  But I believe beginners will do better starting off with only 5-8 reps per set.  You’ll still be learning proper form if you are new to training and you are more likely to get injured if you try to go with higher reps.

*Eat a nutrient dense diet with adequate calories.  You hear people talking about “eat big to get big.”  But going overboard on calories is a good way to get fat.   Just shoot for a slight calorie deficit (something over 15 calories per lb. of body weight per day).

There is an exception to this rule: if you are really skinny and/or young (a teenager) you may have to go really high on calories.  Some teenagers have really fast metabolisms and may have to eat a lot more in order to gain muscle.  Just keep in mind you probably won’t be able to eat this way the rest of your life.

Around .75 to 1 gram of protein per lb. of body weight will be enough to gain muscle (some will claim you need a lot more, but the evidence just isn’t there).  Go with quality protein sources like eggs, milk, chicken, fish, etc.

I’ll mention something else here.  I’m a big believer in intermittent fasting for losing fat and staying lean.  But I would not advise it for those trying to put on their first 15-20 lb of muscle.  It makes a lot more sense to eat at least 3-4 meals a day if you are really going to focus on gaining weight.

*Go minimalist with your supplements.  Creatine monohydrate, protein powder, a multivitamin, and fish oil–that’s it (I’ve explained this in Supplements That Work–check out the link on the top of this for more info).  Don’t waste time and money trying to find the latest “breakthrough” supplement–that’s a good way to go broke with no muscle to show for it. Focus instead on your training and nutrition.

*Train 3-4 times a week.  A new trainee should do fine with three to four sessions of about 45 minutes to one hour a week.  That’s enough time to do a simple routine with two or three of these before-mentioned basic exercises.   You can experiment with longer, higher volume training sessions once you become a more advanced lifter.  But beginners should keep things simple and short.

Conclusion

These are a few of the basic steps for building muscle. The specifics may vary, but most solid programs will include these steps.