Follow @sciunisonfitnes

In my latest training blocks I have been doing One Arm Dumbbell Rows as my power based back exercise. I have always been pretty strong with this exercise – while keeping good form. However, this latest block my strength has soared. The heaviest I have gone in the past is 155lbs dumbbells on a good for for 5. 

Those numbers have been obliterated this time around. In my past two power back days I have been able to do the 180 lbs dumbbells for 5 reps. 

I attribute this big gain in strength to a few variables: …

Follow @sciunisonfitnes

3/27

Today was a great day to get all this stuff done. I wasn’t scheduled to workout, and my later clients canceled. This gave me plenty of time to be outside, enjoy the weather, and of course get the work done. 

I started by adding some soil, compost, and a touch of organic fertilizer to one of the narrow beds before tilling it. Once that was complete I planted my Burpee Red Candy Onions. I was sure to plant them according to Burpee specifications, and watered them immediately. According to Burpee the onions should be planted 6 inches apart, and deep enough so that the tip of the actual bulb shows over the soil.  Here are some photos… …

Follow @sciunisonfitnes

One of the major mistakes I made last year was not starting soon enough. Everything was thought of late, and it was a mad dash to make room for the garden. Learning from that expereince, I decided to start a few vegetables indoors early. This would enable me to get a nice jump on the growing season. 

Tomorrow I will start to prep and till all my beds. Hope to start planting the potaotos, and transplants within a week or so. 

Here is what I have thus far.

2/29

• Carnival pepper hybrid mix 

• Green bell pepper

• Hot pepper mix

I planted a few of each of the above. Most cracked and sprung well. Noticed that the Hot pepper mix was very picky and I only got one real strong plant to emerge. 

3/7 …

Follow @sciunisonfitnes

For this years garden I purchased all my seeds and starters from Burpee. I was told all year about how great they are so I decided to give it a shot. 

Herbs/Spices:

Sweet Basil

Parsley

Oregano

Cilantro

…

Follow @sciunisonfitnes

This will be my second year doing the organic vegetable garden thing. Last year was my first shot at it and it went pretty well. I made some mistakes, started a little late, but hey, I am only human, plus I was dieting for a show. lol

This year I have decided to keep a running log/chronicle/journal of this years garden. 

So lets goooo…..

Follow @sciunisonfitnes

A Korean study examined 250 people between the ages of 60 and 70 years of age. The study focused on the relationship between fat levels and the cognitive performance of the participants. 

The BMI (body mass index) of all the participants was calculated and those with higher BMI levels and higher levels of abdominal fat were linked to poorer cognitive performance. 

The lead author of the study, Dae Hyun Yoon, said: “Our findings have important public health implications. The prevention of obesity, particularly central obesity, might be important for the prevention of cognitive decline or dementia.”

Once again another demonstration of how important proper diet and nutrition is in the building and maintaining of a strong body and mind. 

You only get one body and mind, You should cherish it. 

Click Here to view the full article. 

____________________________________________________________________________

Follow @sciunisonfitnes

One of the biggest problems people have when on a diet has to do with taste. People immediately think that a healthy diet geared for fat loss equates to a bland, boring diet. The only diet that has to be bland and boring is a competition style diet. So if you don’t plan on stepping on stage, you can kick the myth about healthy eating. 

The key to a succesful diet is to take the clean, and nutrient dense foods and make them enjoyable without destroying thier beneficial value. This can be with a host of herbs, spices, dressings, and sweeteners. 

I cant sit here and name every possible choice there is but I can at least give some insight into some of the items I use to keep things interesting…that is until I cross over into a competition style diet, then all this stuff doesn’t apply lol. 

Seasonings / Herbs / Spices

• sea salt

• pepper

• oregano

• cilantro …

Follow @sciunisonfitnes

My arms are def one of the laggers. It has alot to do with their overall length. I am about a hair under 6’2 but my wingspan is slightly over 6’6. This gives me a large disadvantage in terms of arm size and growth. 

As of late I have been chanding some things up in order to bring about so new progress. 

Focusing on the long head of the tricep is my main concern. The beefy look in this area has always eluded me. Due to the way I am built it has always been super difficult for me to really thrash this area.  

Decline Dumbbell Tricep and Straight Bar extensions seem to be helping alot. This is not like a typical skull crusher. With this exercise the weight is lifted more outward away from the body. This stretches and places alot of tension on the long head of the tricep. 

For biceps I have continued to use all straight bars as oppsoed to ez-curl bars. The straight bar allows me to keep my pinky at the same height as my thumb, whereas the ezbar doesn’t. This has an impact on the contraction that i feel. When the pinky is level or elevated of the thumb, the turning motion with your palm facing up, the bicep can fully contract. 

For forearms, i have been using the fatter bar to do all my forearms curls. I think I am ready to implement fat bar curls as well. This new grip has definitely given me sore spots where i previously haven’t ltfe. 

Here is a photo. so far so good, still plenty of time till my next show… June 2012

_________________________________________________________________________________

Follow @sciunisonfitnes

So I have been lifting weights since high school. Its been a long journey, and along the way I have had my fair share of nagging injuries and serious injuries. On top of the injuries, the punishment I dish out to my body and muscles when I train is pretty extreme.  

I have been saying for year now how I wanted to get a deep tissue massage, but I never got around to it. 

This time I finally did. I went a massage therapist that was highly recommended by a few people I know. Her name is Sue Saffari.She is tiny compared to me, and I thought immediately “there is no way this tiny woman will put a dent in me”. Holy shit was I wrong.  The massage was very deep and felt good in a painful way. Deep tissue massages aren’t meant to be relaxing and joyful. They are meant to get the job done. 

I had her focus on some of my problem areas, such as my Lats, shoulders and lower back. She took care of everything else but paid special attention to these areas. 

As she was working on me I could feel her digging deep within my muscle tissue. The more she worked, the more I felt my muscles begin to loosen up. The combination of high stress and torturous workouts had definitely left its mark. 

Lets look at some of the benefits of a Deep Tissue Massage….. …