Training Tips With the Freak Maker Himself!

Just this past Saturday, Darren and Christina Mehling held the first of this year's many "Team Freak" meetings to share tips on training. The seminar was graciously hosted by Chris McDole and Dave Beakley of McDole's Gym on 181 Stradbrook St. Around 40 or so Freaks (capital F!) gathered around the squat rack and other weight equipment to see what secrets they could pry from the Freak Maker's mind. I'll be discussing the highlights of the seminar.

Squats

Focus on putting the hamstrings into it--if you can't go below parallel (ie the crease of your hip below the top of your knee) it's more than likely a problem of hamstring flexibility.

Spread your knees out wide as you descend and rise, andkeep your weight on your heels… do not allow your heels to rise off of the floor.
Keep the bar over your feet--the bar should go straight up and down, not come forward as near the bottom.

Overhead Press

Keep your elbows in front of the bar, as opposed to keeping your elbows flaired out to the side, which puts a lot of strain on the rotator cuffs.

Always look straight ahead while doing the movement.

When bringing the weight down, rest it on the shoulders, like a front squat's "rack position."

Bring the bar all the way overhead, to full arm extension, to ensure full range of motion. Activate the traps at the top of the press to complete the movement and protect your rotator cuffs.

Dumbell Bench Press

Like the Overhead Press, it's common to flair out the elbows with the dumbells so that your arms are all the way out, parallel with the shoulders. Again, as with the Overhead Press, this is a major risk to the rotator cuffs. Use your lats and traps to keep your elbows closer to your torso and protect your shoulders.

Keep the feet firmly planted on the ground. This gives you more of a drive and better balance.

Arch your back--this, combined with keeping the elbows closer to your torso, will give the pecs complete stimulation, while at the same time protecting the rotator cuffs.

Attitude Adjustment

Near the end, once training was over, Darren explained the difference between a Freak and "everyone else":

Never train for a "Novice" contest. Train for a National contest. Be a pro in your mindset.

A Freak is more than just someone with an e-mail of the program with the Freak Fitness logo on it; it's an all encompassing mindset. Most important of all (this is a direct quotation):

"You gotta work fucking hard!"

Leave no stone unturned! Don't go and give yourself a reason to say, "well, I could have done this, but..."

"When I trained for the Provincials," Darren said, "I outworked everyone. I won because I saw no other outcome other than winning. There's no such thing as luck."

Everyone left the seminar with greater knowledge, motivation, and dedication than ever before. Thanks to everyone at McDole's Gym for having hosted the event, and Darren and Christina Mehling, two great coaches who do everything in their power to help their athletes succeed!

Competitor Profile: Sam Dalupang

2nd Place Welterweight Men's, MABBA Novice 2011

1. How did you get into bodybuilding and weight training for the first time?

In Grade 8, I walked into an empty weight room, picked up some equipment out of curiosity and surprised myself that I could lift it. no fancy story here. I just loved the feeling. there was no streaming videos off the internet to boost your motivation or ego back then. I didn't know 'Pumping Iron' or Ronnie Coleman existed till my college days.

2. What were people's reactions when you started to change physically? Did people act differently towards you?

"People" is too generalized.                                         
There are 2 categories:
People I care about and who see me on a regular basis and know my discipline are not surprised with the changes I made.
Everyone else, whether in a positive or negative way, I could care less about their actions towards me because it doesnt effect my goals. i train for me, no compromise. If people are inspired by me, great. That's a bonus. and those ones will likely turn into the people I care about.

2. How did it affect your school/work balance at the time? How about now?
Trained hard, then used school and work time as sleep time. Worked out perfect because I graduated as a top student and with honours in every high school and post secondary school year.

Now, bodybuilding is all I care about. Everything else is secondary, but because of my mind set, balancing my priorities is easy. If my workplace will not respect that, I will quit. You have to realize that you are nobody's bitch. It's all about respect. If your job doesn't respect your goals, then you don't have to respect theirs. Get a job where if you scratch their back, they'll scratch yours. If you have this mind set, you'll perform well at work because you'll be doing your job out of respect not necessarily just for the money, and won't be forced to work overtime.

3. You have your own physique consultation business--how did it get started?

It was never intended as a business venture. People came to me, I never had to approach anyone. Till this day, I don't advertise because I don't need to. I have a full roster with a waiting list and none of my guys want to leave.
4. How did everything you learned at RRC in Business help you in your consultation business? What lessons stuck with you and influence you the most today in practice?

Choose your target market and don't compromise. Satisfy them 100% and you won't need to waste time and money on advertising for new clientele. If you try to target everybody, you will please nobody. You choose your clients, dont let them choose you. There are plenty of clients and plenty of trainers out there with different expertise. No need to be greedy and take on any client that inquires. If you take on a client that isn't compatible, they are just going to make things worse for you because they are going to quit and say it is your fault, and that just ruins your reputation. For all my inquiries, I tell them what I expect, and if I see we aren't compatible, I tell them straight up, get a different trainer first and come see me when you think you are ready. I only have so much time in a day and I'd rather invest it on the best.
5. When setting up a diet/training regime, what are the basic things you start with? Do you focus on what they were doing before (presuming they're not totally new) and adjust from there, or do you find that a very sudden "shock the body" approach with sudden drops/increases in calories, volume, etc. works better more often than not?a) I refuse to work with newbs. I have nothing against them, it's just not my market. There are more appropriate trainers for that.
b) I do not make diet programs. diets are short term. I will not take on a client that looks like they are expecting a short term fix to be an everlasting solution. and if I do take one on by accident, I will drop them from my team. I am very blunt in my consultations, so all inquiries know exactly what I expect.

The basic thing I start with is asking "what are your goals?". Tip for anyone looking for help with anything health and fitness related: if the first thing the person you ask doesn't say, "what are your goals?", dont listen to them. Not everyone wants to get ripped, not everyone wants to get huge. How the heck can someone tell you what you need to do, if they don't know what you want to do.

From there, programs are developed depending on a particular clients strengths and weaknesses and are reassessed and changed if needed every few weeks. I cannot make a generalization for you. what makes me different from other trainers is I teach my clients the hows and whys to every little detail. I teach them how to fish, I dont feed them. You are more likely to do something properly if you understand it and appreciate it, if you get what I mean.
5. What are your thoughts on:

a) Cardio pre-contest?

Sure, if you need it. It all depends on how your off season went. I tell all my guys during the off season, the more disciplined you are now, the easier it'll be pre-contest.


b) Carbs (keep them as high as possible, or err on the side of caution)?

Carbs are a touchy subject. Its not just about how many. It's also about the timing and the type. Depends on the body type as well. I won't make a generalization. That's what magazines are for.
c) Carb depletion/loading, sodium manipulation, and other pre-show tricks? Do they really work?
Same thing. I won't make a generalization. Sure they work if done correctly. But if your body fat is low enough, you shouldn't have to play with your sodium levels. But let's not kid ourselves here and be realistic, most athletes use prescription diuretics to get dry. Lets not insult anyones intelligence.
6. What's the weirdest thing you've seen:

a) In the gym?

I'd rather not answer this in an interview. I don't encourage wandering eyes. Who gives a shit about what is happening around you. As a bodybuilder, you shouldn't allow yourself to be distracted by anything. Cap down. Earbuds in.
b) Backstage at a show?

Not weird, just funny... shortage of rice cakes. At the novice level, guys often under estimate how many carbs they need and end up scavenging and mooching for rice cakes once they have run out. Always bring a few extra bags than you need. If you have left overs, someone is bound to buy them off you...ha ha.


Photos credited to Duane Riz.

Recipe of the Week: Cheese-Salsa Chicken

 


Ingredients:

Chicken breast (32 oz, raw, 8 oz per serving)

1 jar of salsa (16 oz)

100 g onions

salt and pepper (to taste)

120 g cheese

chili powder (1 tsp)

Instructions:

1. Put onions into 8 in by 8 in oven bowl with salsa.

2. Dice onions.

3. Mix salsa, onions, and chili powder into oven bowl. Marinade in fridge for four hours.

3. After four hours, sprinkle cheese over top of chicken, bake in preheated oven at 400 degrees F for 30-40 minutes.

Serve with rice, choice of vegetables. (I am fond of asparagus and beets) Enjoy!

Macros: (including butter on the asparagus and the beets) 543 calories: 48g carbs, 45g protein, and 19g fat.

Kenny Rollon Interview

Hey, it's Alex Kyle with Manitoban M.U.S.C.L again, and here today we've got our first video, an interview with Novice 2012 Bantamweight 3rd place winner, Kenny Rollon! I'll just let him do the talking first...in the mean time, watch this space, and within a week or two you might get a chance to hear something from a former Mr. Manitoba himself.

Competitor Profile: Jon Chong

MABBA Novice 2009: Bantamweight Men: 1st Place and Junior Men: 2nd Place
MABBA Provincials 2010: Bantamweight and Junior Men: 2nd Place
MABBA Provincials 2012: Lightweight Men: 1st Place

1. What got you into bodybuilding? What motivates you to keep competing?

I grew up a fat kid. For most of my elementary and junior high life I was: awkward, timid, made fun of, and immensely unpopular. When I was 13 in my final year of grade 8, I decided I wanted to do something about it. I got my mom to buy me my first set up dumbbells, I started jogging in the mornings and when I reached high school, during the mandatory “weight training” unit, I discovered the gym.

What keeps me going is the overwhelming feeling of accomplishment I get after completing my training prep and stepping on stage for all to see. As well, pushing myself to my absolute physical and mental limits is immensely gratifying because each time I do it, I surprise myself at how much I have redefined those limits since the first time I picked up a dumbbell.

2. Of all the gyms you’ve trained at, which one stuck in your mind as the best? Why?

The YMCA on Kimberly Ave here in Winnipeg sticks out the most in my head. It’s where I really began my fitness and bodybuilding career and was my home away from home all throughout high school as I was learning the ways of a bodybuilder. Everytime I go back and see some of the regulars that I used to workout with or staff that are still there, I am hit with a sense of nostalgia and think to myself, “yeah, this is where it all started.”

3. What do you think of where the sport is going, versus where it used to be?
I’ve always been more of a fan of the “Classic” more asthetic bodybuilding physique, with the small waist, prominante V-taper, clean lines, symmetry, well conditioned and balance. Though, the sheer size and conditioning of the athletes nowadays is very impressive, there’s only so much a human skeleton can take, in terms of muscle mass, before the physique becomes cartoonish and unappealing.
I do like where the sport is going as of 2010 and 2011, where the judges are starting to reward athletes with more conditioned, aesthetic, and well balanced physiques. On top of the insane amount of mass that today’s pros seem to be able to come up with.

4. What do you think of the Men’s Physique division? Do you think it is doing good for the sport?
I think it’s a good place for athletes that want to compete in physique sport, but lack the ability to put on the necessary mass to compete in bodybuilding. That it’s allowing more people to compete in physique sport is great, but I do think more defined criteria need to be put in place for the category. It seems that many judges are still at odds as to what a ‘physique’ competitor should encompass.

5. What sort of tips would you give to someone who is competing for the first time?
Write everything down! And pay attention to detail. Keeping adequate records of how you’re feeling, how your training and diet are going are great tools to ensure that nothing catches you by surprise. As well as, provides you with a foundation to go back, evaluate and make improvements on. As well, planning every single detail leading up to to a show is important. You can easily be overwhelmed by the amount of “little” things you need come competition day: registration, weigh-ins, athlete meetings, tanning, hair removal, make up, pump up foods, diet foods, supplements, getting time off from work, buying your suit, buying appropriate footwear… the list is endless. So, be sure to talk to experienced athletes or try and think as far ahead until show time as possible to ensure you don’t get caught off guard.
6. What is your favourite and least favourite thing about this sport?

Showing off the hard work I put into myself, day in and day out, in front of a screaming crowd of people that appreciate the time, effort and dedication it takes to make it all happen. As well as inspiring new competitors to compete and try physique sport.

Least favorite: tanning, shaving, and the incredible amount of ego and cattiness that happens backstage.

7. How have family, friends, etc. reacted to your changes? Have they/how have they been supportive?
Many still don’t understand or really “get” what it is I do. The only other person that could do that is another competitor. But for the most part, all have been supportive of my affiliation with bodybuilding and physique sport.

8. What is the hardest part of balancing life and bodybuilding? Where do you draw the line for where life comes first?
Time management. Balancing everything that life has to offer as well as bodybuilding is hard, because bodybuilding takes so much attention to detail. Eating is a structured regiment at specific times of the day, with specific foods, and preparations. Training becomes a regiment of specific exercise designed to increase: definition, muscle size, endurance, shape, hide weak points and lose fat. It’s easy to lose track of everything else.

When my relationships with peers, friends and family get strained, and my grades at school take a huge drop, then it’s time to re-evaluate things.

9. What’s the strangest thing you’ve seen in the gym?

A condom from the night before…












Photos credited to Duane Riz

Welcome to the New Blog

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