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This Month’s Like – Gymnastic Bodies Course
My initial interest in the Gymnastic Bodies’ courses began in 2015. By then, I had been lifting since I was 17 and focusing on bodybuilding. Since then, I’ve learned that while hypertrophy (muscle growth) is great, it has to be coupled with flexibility and functional movements to keep the body progressing and to prevent injury. In 2015, my nagging shoulder tightness and limited flexibility urged me to expand my exercise repertoire and try something new. I purchased the Gymnastic Bodies’ Handstand One course in 2016 and soon dropped bodybuilding for calisthenic strength and functional exercise. After ordering Handstand One, I incorporated gymnastic strength moves in my weekly training routine, three days…
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My Biggest Leg Day Mistake
From 2007-2013, my “heavy” leg day exercises were done with the Smith and leg press machines. I trained hard, lifted heavy, but over that six-year period, all I got were big, shapeless legs. This made me jealous of other women’s legs, wondering how they got them so muscular and lean. This was especially frustrating because I was a personal trainer, and I believed I understood what was necessary to get my dream legs, and I thought I was doing those things. The root of my problem was my emphasis on bodybuilding-style training: machine and isolation-focused exercises, aesthetic training rather than athletic training. In 2014, I started listening to a professional strength coach podcast and learned about functional,…
