Beachbody Classic 2015-Beachbody Summit 2015 Part II

Friday was a mental struggle and it actually helped me that I was out of town. Rolling down Broadway in Nashville looking at all the retail shops, restaurants, and that amazing Candy Kitchen; I plotted the nonsense that I was going to get into that evening. Most of it shamefully revolved around

Anyway, I attended some inspiring presentations. There are so many people that are growing their Beachbody business to the tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, and even to the millionaire level. These people are NO different than you and I. They just made a decision to get sh*t done then executed. Beachbody is a great way to make supplemental or even breadwinning income, while helping copious amounts of people at the same time. It really made me THINK BIGGER!

After walking down Broadway I walked over a bridge that separated downtown from Nissan Stadium. I figured it would be a great time to take some game winning shots. Like I said, I made the decision to THINK BIGGER!

Now I attempted to have another meal that was higher in carbs, fat, and sodium and I don't think I should have. It did not affect my body the same way as the day before. Here is the best shot of me onstage, and it points out what was obviously my biggest weakness in the show......too much body fat

At least I look happy though :-)

Needless to say, I did not dominate the competition at this event but I did make my presence felt. I gained a wealth of knowledge and experience, and I acquired a few new friends.

I definitely left Nashville inspired by the thousands of "normal" everyday people that have put time in to build successful businesses with Beachbody. I was inspired by the performances of the other top Physique, as well as bikini competitors that were there. My own failures supplied me with inspiration. As well as a San Diego supermodel that shall remain nameless. 

Now that I'm back in my environment, let's see what I can create.

Beachbody Classic 2015- Beachbody Summit 2015

I started my bodybuilding training 12 weeks ago. I lost close to 20lbs and 7% body fat. I trained like an animal. Sometimes I would literally have to disassociate my body from mind so I wouldn't give in to the pain and fatigue when I was training.

The biggest struggle was in the nutrition. I actually enjoyed ingesting almost 280gm of protein a day. Chicken breasts, lean steaks, and egg whites were just part of the daily routine. Only being able to take in a little more than 50gm of fat a day was a challenge, especially since peanut butter taste so wonderful.

The real challenge resided in the 175gm of carb per day restriction. I tried my best to fight those sugar cravings with a Floyd Mayweather type of defensive tenacity. Most days I did what I was supposed to, on other days I caved in. That is probably the main reason why I wasn't a Top 3 finisher.

The day before I stood in front of the judges, I was on a serious carb restriction. I had 30gm from breakfast and didn't have another gram until 8pm that night when I was supposed to have 30 more. Guess what I chose to eat........

 The Gaylord Orpyland. What a ridiculously huge hotel! It's like a small indoor city. 

The morning of the show I was ready to go. I wanted to go and impress the judges, then go and eat something I had no business eating. I woke up real flat with little energy.

Two hours before I went to show I needed a meal of about 90gm or carbs and some sodium so my muscles would fill out. I also needed about 30gm of fat to add some vascularity to my depleted body. Good thing the hotel room service provided french toast, coffee, and bacon. I was all over it. This is how my body looked after the meal.

Posing in front of the judges was cool. It felt natural. I would much rather pose like a bodybuilder than physique competitor but I practiced both of them a lot so I felt comfortable. I kept a smile on my face.

Some of the other male competitors looked amazing. You can tell they put in some real hard work in the gym....and probably cheated a little less than I did. They were getting pumped up with band and tubing exercises before they went in to pose. Everybody I met seemed positive and was there to enjoy the experience.

The problem with the Beachbody Classic was that pre-judging was Thursday morning and the stage show was Friday night. Now I've heard of Thurs am/ Thurs pm or Fri am/Fri pm but not the morning of one day and then night the next. Being out of town added to the degree of difficulty because I did not have food with me. NOTE TO SELF: If you go out of town to do a show, seal up some food and bring it with you.
I posed at 9am and the judges notified us that the Top 20 would be announced "sometime before midnight." What!?!

The evening show at Nissan Stadium did get me pumped up. Beachbody knows how to have a party.

Bloody nose!

And I made some new friends!

Then came the email.....Congratulations Mr. McCohn you've made the Top 20 competitors. Be ready for stage tomorrow night for the possibility to bring home the trophy. And I immediately went back to the hotel and got a workout in. 

Back for the 1st Time

It's been a long time. It's hard to believe I've left for so long. McCohn Muscle Training is performing at an all time high. We are get results for every person that's willing to show us commitment. Whether it be for 21 days or six months; the ingredients we have for weight loss, athletic performance, muscle gain, and healthier living WORKS.

Your favorite trainer Q. McCohn is submerged in the fitness lifestyle. Besides helping clients reach their goals, while coaching young proteges to success of their own; Q. McCohn is building himself up for a few show presentations. Nothing like being on stage with bright lights to get the adrenaline rushing. 

Check out this workout we did last week in BootCamp class:

Total 10 reps, from 9 of the first exercise and 1 of the second, shifting each set (8:2, 7:3 etc) until you are at 1:9.

1. Push ups / Prisoner Squats
2. Burpees & reverse lunges (each side) 3. Mountain climbers & tripod extension 4. Renegade row / wingman & frog jumps 5. Dynamic side lunges / dolphin
If you have time left at the end, add in a timed plank to finish. 

McCohn Muscle! Make Your Presence Felt!

The Dangers of Sugar

We're talking about those delicious cakes and pies. Your favorite cookies, candy, and unfortunately, Marshmallow Fruit Loops. Ice cream, soft drinks, many juices, processed food, and that scrumptious Trader Joes licorice. White sugar, brown sugar, dextrose, sucrose, and even honey (although my shelf will always have raw honey); all of these go straight into the bloodstream immediately after digestion.

Then your pancreas, the critical controller of blood sugar levels, secretes insulin into the blood to remove sugar. The pancreas always overreacts though, because our body doesn't require so much sugar. So it removes too much sugar, and this causes "the crash" where we can be fatigued, moody, and depressed.

The average American adult consumes more than 160lbs of sugar per year but we need NO extra sugars at all in our diet if we are consuming enough fruits, vegetables, and complex carbs. No wonder more than 50 million Americans are overweight. Besides making us fat, sugar causes tooth decay, diabetes, poor performance and lightheadedness. It has no nutrients. It's not good. It always crowds out your appetite for foods with proper nutrients. Hit the delete button on sugar. Eliminate desserts from your meals and lose weight almost immediately. Better eating with more exercise, while eliminating sugar from your diet will have you feeling like a vibrant young hottie/stud again.

Here is a link to an article that shares 10 more things you should know about sugar

Thanksgiving 2014- Turkey Burn BootCamp

In case you missed it, Turkey Burn BootCamp was fire. There were over 30 of us in Max Out Gym on Thanksgiving morning, training with tons of energy and excitement before we spent time with our families digging into all the food the holiday brings. There were eight different workout stations and the exercises participants did included: woodway sprints, battle ropes, push ups, shuttle runs, ab wheel rollouts, kettlebell swings, med ball slams, pull ups, plyometrics, etc.

The beauty of this workout was the mix of participants. There were McCohn Muscle clients, family members, other trainers, other trainer's clients, friends, family members of friends, etc. Some people work out at Max Out Gym all the time, some people I've never met before. The workout was enough for all fitness levels so everyone left with a feeling of accomplishment.

At the end of the workout, I shared a story with the participant out of a book titled, "An Enemy of Average." The short story started off with the quote, "Don't ask time where it's gone; tell it where to go!" I shared with them that we all have the same 24 hours in a day and what you do with that 24 will decide your accomplishments, success, and satisfaction. It was so much fun working with so many people, especially on a holiday. The experience was confirmation that I am on the right track in helping others improve their quality of life through health and fitness.

McCohn Muscle Client of the Month- November 2014

Amanda Scalise....a CHAMP in everyone's book!

She brings the energy and effort all the time, and her attitude is contagious. In October she lost 3lbs while participating in #GutCheck BootCamp and her standard once a week training sessions. She also managed to find the time to complete the Nationwide Children's Hospital Columbus Half-Marathon in just over two hours. Two days after her half-marathon she came into her training session and pressed a client best 96 reps of 45lbs barbell flat bench press. BOOM! 

Scalise also completed a half-marathon in October 2011, August 2013, and her first full marathon in October 2013. I might even be missing one or two of them.

She is an inspiration and a motivator. She works hard balancing career, family, fitness, and fun. I can count on her to lead by example, and I also know that every once in a while she is going to challenge me. She has been a loyal client and a great friend. We have seen each other overcome a number of obstacles and witnessed the growth that came from them. Even though she is one of the youngest, she currently is my longest tenured client. I've always believed that a trainer can only be great if he trains clients that do great things. That's what Amanda Scalise is to me....just flat out a great person.

Columbus full marathon Oct 2013, Mile 18

Who is Amanda Scalise to others? 

Well....I train a young lady that's 17 years old. I admire her for the simple fact that she does one thing that so many people are allergic to doing, and that's keep it real. One day this young lady looked me in my face and said, "Amanda is somebody I want to be like when I get older." Wow. What a compliment from someone who is worth admiring herself!

To other clients I would say she is a leader. She's silly and funny, always engaged, and a hard worker. From time to time she can be counted on to create a rebellion against the trainer as well.

Good business owners constantly think of ways to improve their brand.
When you have people like these supporting it, you're in pretty good shape.

McCohn Muscle Client of the Month- October 2014

Ladies and gentlemen, Suely Guimaraes

This one is all about EFFORT! Now before I upset most of my clients, because just about every one of them gives maximum effort when they're training, not many of them try to do it in distress. Suely would be just about any trainer's dream client because she goes so hard sometimes you have to slow her down. 

She has been a faithful participant in #GutCheck BootCamp since April. Now there was a bit of a language barrier because I am a little rusty with my Portuguese. It's been a long time :-) One thing that became obvious during the first couple months of training is that during the workouts she would sometimes get pelvic and abdominal pain. It wasn't because of the exercises, it was more of a medical issue she had going on with her body. It would get so bad sometimes that she would be in tears. Now you will never hear me tell clients, "no pain, no gain." I will not ask anyone that is physically hurting to push through to the finish. But it sure is admirable to see someone that wants it that bad. To see someone that is willing to put in that kind of work.

She's lost a total of 6lbs and lowered her body fat by 3%. The impressive part about it is she endured these grueling 6am workouts while dealing with a medical concern that would make most people tap out. Now we recently got the doctor's command to reduce intensity and rest more. We are abiding by that so Suely can come back stronger. Meantime in between time her tenacity and effort has earned her McCohn Muscle's October Client of the Month. You go girl!