Training

More in Training

Combining antagonist muscle groups has many benefits including:

For Chase Bergner, pairing chest and back works great for him not only for the massive pump in the deltoids and lats, 2 of the most important components to the Tapered look, but also because he can connect with his rear delts a lot better this way. Check out his lifts and some of the intermittent stretching and total ROM failure that he does.

Tapered - Back & Chest with Chase Bergner

Choose different exercises to target the back. I like chins, lat pull-down etc. I recommend to train the back twice a week for the best results.

Choose different exercises to target all areas of the legs. For example squats, deadlifts and lunges. Add exercises for isolating the muscles as well. Such as hip thrusts for the booty, leg extensions for the quads and leg curls for the hamstrings. I recommend to train the legs/booty twice a week for the best results.

Try to target the biggest muscle groups twice a week.

I add abs as after the regular session 3 times/week and arms/chest/calves when I have time and it fits. For example I train arms and abs with back and chest with shoulders once a week.

My best tips to loose fat is to have a good diet-plan. But also to do high-intense cardio-sessions like intervals!

A balanced diet for me means clean food that provides enough energy and fuel to recover from workouts. Make sure you get all the nutrients you need. I have good carbs, protein and fat in my diet. My best choices are:

Protein: fish, seafood, moose (low fat meat), eggs and cottage cheese

Anna Stålnacke - Tips For The Perfect X-Shape

Carina Isaksson has been in the game for a long time. She has competed in pretty much every division within SKKF (equivalent to NPC in Sweden) and she is also an SKKF judge. If anyone knows training and how to get, and stay in shape, Carina does! Check out her summer training tips below.

This is summer training that works whenever and wherever. For example in a park or in the yard at home.

20 Shoulder lifts to the side with rubber band

10 Triceps press (towards chair or bench)

Start over 5 times and do each round faster and faster.

Sometimes when I travel I can simply lay down on the floor or in the grass etc. and do the following:

Stay In Shape This Summer

Caroline Aspenskog and Unni Lundblom Edman are Better Bodies ambassadors and Personal Trainers. They have put together a Bootcamp workout that you can do anywhere at any time.

Here is a perfect and intensive workout that doesn't require any equipment at all. You only need yourself and your own body-weight. This is a quick and intensive workout that can be done without having to go to the gym. Make sure to be explosive in all exercises.

6x30 of each exercise, rest 30 seconds and start over again.

Complete all sets of each exercise before moving on to the next.

Jump up and down in squat position. Be explosive.

Make sure to keep your knees stable. If you get tired or the technique is failing, skip the jumping part and do regular lunges instead.

Do sprints in stairs hitting every other step. Be explosive and push yourself to the max. If you don't have access to stairs you can do regular sprints on flat ground or uphill.

8x20 of each exercise, rest 30 seconds and start over again.

Make sure to keep a strong core. Keep your back straight. This is an exercise with a lot of focus on core strength and conditioning.

Lay down in side plank position. Make sure to keep a stable and strong core. Go straight up with your hip and straight down again. Keep going for 20 seconds, rest 10 seconds, do the same side again and complete all sets on one side before switching.

Sitt on the floor with legs up. Push your legs forward (without touching the ground) and lean your upper body back the same time. Keep doing the same movement for 20 seconds each set.

Lay down on the floor with your lower back "glued" to the ground and legs in 90 degrees. Do sit-ups and focus on really squeezing your abs in the top position.

Bootcamp With Caroline Aspenskog & Unni Lundblom

"Glutes are one of the most important aspects of bikini competition. You have to have your training on point to build them. For me that is heavy lifting. I have that mindset and I will go in the gym and commit to lifting heavier and heavier. Put it out there in the universe that you will get stronger, better that you will lift heavier and continually improve."

Narmin Assria understands glutes are built the same as other muscles, with weight bearing exercises and progressive overload i.e. increasingly heavier weights, more volume or shorter rest periods over time. The greater the load the more the muscle will have to adapt in size to accommodate.

Here are some of Narmin's favorite movements for glutes. She explains in detail the how she performs each movement and what she likes about them.

Narmin Assria - Glute Workout

Kaylie Fountain is a pro bikini competitor who is enjoying her offseason and the workouts that come with not being on a caloric deficit.

Kaylie flew into Dallas from McAllen, Texas for a fun few days of training, shoots and team building with the Better Bodies crew and Narmin Assria who flew in from Orange Country, California.

In this workout Kaylie is training back and biceps.

Kaylie is a fan of always being active and a big advocate for weight training to build the muscle she needs to compete on the pro bikini stage. The offseason is crucial for having the raw materials and nutrition needed to fuel her workouts and her recovery.

Balanced Pro Bikini Training - Kaylie Fountain

There is a lot of interpretations of what intensity is, furthermore there are a ton of training techniques and strategies.

Here in this case Olivia Gravengaard and Olivia Rothenburg teach Jeremy Potvin there strategy of getting several warm up sets (avoiding exhaustion) and then 1 all out top set to total mechanical failure that is logged to track progress and then 1 "back off" set to failure that is also tracked.

The point is to produce a novel stimulus ie more weight or more reps on the lifts that are tracked without 3-4 or more sets.

The first 3 "work" sets would've wasted energy that could have been geared towards your top set.

The Olivias go into a lot of detail on exercise selection and more execution advice. Check it out and let us know what you think in the community groups.

Leg Day School - Jeremy Potvin, Olivia Gravengaard & Olivia Rothenburg

IFBB Pro Athlete and 5 x Olympian Ahmad Ahmad was raised in Sweden but has his heritage from Iraq.

Ahmad has recently done the transition from the 212 Bodybuilding to Classic Physique and in preparations for this years Olympia he is set to make it among the top few.

 on his journey, and check out his shoulder/chest workout in this video.

Ahmad Ahmad - Aiming For Top Finish At The Olympia

Delts are one of the most important aspects of Body Fitness competition.

Here are some of Jackie's favorite movements for her push workout and also for focusing on details in the muscle.

Lateral cable raises superset with front raises

Jackie Masete - Push Workout for Better Delts

The glutes are a huge and strong muscle group. To get them to respond you need to make them work and WORK HARD.

Samantha Jerring is making her Figure Olympia debut in 2 weeks. Here she links up with Keone Pearson who qualified for the 212 Mr. Olympia by winning the Chicago pro but is waiting to step on the 212 Olympia stage until 2021.

Samantha leads the workout off with a "glute activator" of abductions and hyperextension geared to glute contraction. She provides cues for every lift in the workout here.

Stay tuned as both Keone and Samantha heads to Orlando for the Iron World Tour and Olympia weekend with the GASP and Better Bodies team.

Fire Glutes - Hardcore Glute and Hamstrings with Samantha Jerring and Keone Pearson

We hit the ground running with guests flying in to build on the momentum from 2020.

Here, hybrid athlete, Kaged Muscle CEO, world renowned trainer and long time friend of GASP and Better Bodies Kris Gethin comes to Dallas for a few days and links up with Hunter Labrada on his hamstring focused leg day.

We get to know Kris for the first time for some of you and get some insight to who Kris is during this video. In the opening of this video Kris speaks on how important it is to NOT compare yourself to others but instead be inspired by how others excel and see how you can apply or incorporate to your own life and run with it.

Hunter also sheds some light on sticking to the "unsexy" basics and how being ultra anal on tracking progress on said basics can reduce drastic results over time. It is never a quick fix when it comes to bodybuilding or anything worth achieving. Time and consistency is always key!

Kris later links up with GASP and Better Bodies CEO Michael Johansson for an in depth chat on Kris's upbringing and many pursuits in life and also catches a back training session the following day with a rejuvenated and HUNGRY Guy Cisternino.

So stick with the you vs you mentality and realize your own max potential.

You VS You: Hunter Labrada and Kris Gethin Train Legs

Many obstacles can and should be approached from a problem/solution standpoint.

Solution: Learn how to properly activate them

IFBB Figure pro Olivia Gravengaard teams up with wellness champion Ashton Penney and bestie Kelsee Tucker for a basic but effective glute and hamstring workout.

Olivia puts Ashton and Kelsee through the paces with a ton of intermittent knowledge on her method and exercises selection.

Check out the exercises here and why and how these ladies execute them.