A blog by Candace M. Foxx Retired WNBF Pro Fit Body and Pro Figure Competitor, Female Personal Trainer, NASM FNS and MMA Specialst, Competition Prep Coach, IFBB USA Certified Bodybuilding Judge and Promoter, and Creator of the Clash at the Border Bodybuilding Show.
Why should women or anyone work hard in the gym to build their back? A lot of people, especially women disregard the importance of training their back or entire upper body. Training the back with weights not only increases your strength, but it also improves back posture and lower back pain. If you ever get into lifting heavy, it is essential to have a strong back to develop a strong squat.
Besides strengthening your back, training also gives an aesthetically pleasing V-tapered look which gives an illusion of a smaller waist with a developed wider upper body. Who would not want to look smaller in the waist area!? So, if you have been lacking in your back training, now is the time to pay attention to your backside!
The Back is Made Up of 4 Major Parts:
The Latissimus Dorsi
The Trapezius
The Rhomboid
The Erecter Spinae
Here are 4 basic gym exercises to build a beautifully strong back!
To build size and strength keep the reps low and the weight heavy.
Maximum strength training: 3 - 5 reps, heavy weight and 2 - 5 min. rest
To get lean and cut keep the reps high and the weight moderate to light.
12 - 15 reps, moderate to light weight and 45 sec - 1 min. rest
Pills my newest client asked me if they were fat-burners that she got from her last personal trainer.
First, no one should be taking pharmaceutical products from anyone who is not a pharmacist or Dr. most of these people have not done enough or any research on what they are giving you and how it will affect your body. It is ALSO ILLEGAL for anyone other than a Dr. or pharmacist to prescribe any of these medications for you.
Oxarox Pill Form Steroid for Weight Gain & Bone Pain
I got this new client a little over a month ago from a very well-known personal trainer in my local area and yesterday, she asked me about some "fat-burners" the past trainer had given her. Right away I was suspicious because this female trainer is known for being on sports performance pharmaceutical drugs. I was not familiar with this brand name and asked my pharmacist friend. He confirmed it was a STEROID for weight gain and for bone pain. He also gave me the run-down of the side effects. I will never understand why anyone would take any of this stuff just to gain muscle when you can't keep it without repeatedly being on a cycle and destroying your organs, voice, enlarging your genitalia and facial features. What amazes the most is how you keep the deep voice, huge face and enlarged female genitalia, but not the MUSCLE when you quit juicing.
Pharmacist Will Casey & Oxarox Side Effects
To me it is not worth it. I personally stayed completely natural because BODYBUILDING saved me from a life of drug-abuse, alcoholism, depression, anger issues and an eating disorder that I suffered from since I was 12 years old. It hurts my heart when I hear people tell me how bodybuilding did the complete opposite for them and ruined their lives. A lot of this starts with trainers, coaches and supplement stores illegally selling pharmaceutical drugs and persuading individuals that the ONLY WAY they can GAIN MUSCLE and LOSE FAT is with these drugs. This is FAR FROM THE TRUTH! The body is a machine! It can lose fat and gain muscle completely on its own NO MATTER THE AGE. Granted, depending on age determines how strong your hormones are, but it DOES NOT MEAN you CAN'T GAIN MUSCLE!!!
Huge Acne Scars Side Effect of Deca-Durobolin Steroids on a NPC Bikini Competitor
In addition, let people DECIDE FOR THEMSELVES whether they want to take pharmaceutical drugs to assist in their fitness goals. One of the worst situations that I have been in repeatedly is telling a potential competitor that they cannot compete naturally because they took illegal substances without knowing it. Some of the strictest shows that I competed in with the WNBF (World Natural Bodybuilding Federation) require an athlete to take a lie detector test prior to being accepted to compete in the show. If they place in the top 3 or 5, they are immediately tested after they leave the stage. Athletes who have taken steroids or any type of other pharmaceutical drugs cannot compete in this federation and many others for more than 2 to 7 years depending on how long they actively took the drugs.
2019 WNBF World Championships 7th Place Pro Fit Body
So, make sure that when you are making the decision to play with illegal substances that you will not be able to go and compete in strict natural bodybuilding shows with the NGA, INBF, NFF, OCB and other natural federations that require a lie detector test. Also make sure you talk to a professional with a medical background to monitor your vitals. Most of these people giving you all these medications are not monitoring their clients' vitals and it seems like they are just throwing as much as they can on a wall to see what sticks. They never consider their client's health and well-being.
2018 Mr. Olympia Shawn Rhoden
IFBB Pro Alena Hatvani
Ever since I got into competing back in 2011 with the INBF (International Natural Bodybuilding Federation), it was common knowledge that an average of 10 - 15 athletes with the NPC/IFBB were dying each year because of substance abuse. It has only gotten public scrutiny lately because of the deaths of some high-ranking competitors like, 2018 Mr. Olympia Shawn Rhoden, IFBB Pro Cedric McMillan, IFBB Pro Alena Hatvani and many others in 2019 - 2022. Before, they would just lie and tell everyone that people like this died of eating bad foods to fast or too soon. Never would they admit it was substance abuse until recently. IFBB Pro athletes like Mr. Olympia Classic Physique Chris Bumstead are finally publicly admitting they take sports performance drugs. Before, they would lie to the public and say it was genetics. There are many who still say they are natural, but the public is starting to realize that there is no way for many of these athletes to gain so much weight, muscle and get so dry naturally. In addition, a well-known IFBB Pro Coach, Shelby Starnes, has been linked to many deaths and permanently medical damaged female bodybuilders. There were a few ladies in my local area of the Rio Grande Valley coached by this guy and one of them ended up in the hospital after her prep. Check out this wild YouTube podcast that goes into the depth of how dangerous his coaching is to athletes.
IFBB Pro & Coach Shelby Starnes
In conclusion, this blog post is just to inform people of the risks of not being aware of what your trainer, coach or friend might suggest for you to take to enhance your fitness goals. Make sure you investigate everything you take prior. Even legal supplements can have disastrous side effects on people who have heart issues, high blood pressure and diabetes.
Barbell Curl is the standard exercise for building strength and mass in the biceps. Adding a bosu makes it also include core and balance strengthening. It also helps avoid using your upper body to lift the weight making the exercise a lot more difficult than the standard. Make sure to keep your core tight as you balance on the bosu and lift the barbell up and down.
Swiss Ball One Arm Preacher Curl
One arm preacher curls is great to target the brachialis, which is the lower part of your bicep. However, adding a Swiss ball will make the exercise more difficult and add some core stabilization which will burn more calories. Make sure when executing this exercise you keep your core tight at all times so that you don't lose control of the ball. Place one of your arms on the ball with the back of the arm against the Swiss ball with dumbbell. Use the other arm as support or place around the front of the Swiss ball. Slowly, lower your arm with the dumbbell to about 90 degrees and curl it back to starting position. You don't want to go beyond this because you can hyper extend your shoulder which can lead to future injury. Repeat on the other arm.
Swiss Ball Dumbbell Lateral Side Curls
Great way to train the long head of the biceps with stabilization. Sit on the Swiss ball and keep your core engaged at all times. Grab your dumbbells and place your arms outside of your thighs with hands facing up. Lift the dumbbells up towards your the side of your shoulders and slowly bring them back to starting position.
A more difficult variation from the regular Swiss ball leg curl. It mostly targets your hamstring, glute and core. Make sure to keep you core engaged when you lift your body up from the floor. Lift one leg up to the sky and keep the other leg on the ball. Bring the ball towards your glute and then push it back away. Repeat on the next leg.
1990 Visiting my relatives in Mississippi at 13 years old wearing almost a size 16. I hated myself and developed bulimia that I suffered from until I was 28 years old after finding the love for fitness.
27 years old, I was sick and tired of not having the body I wanted. I smoked cigarettes, drank too much alcohol and was 4 years of getting over many drug addictions that included cocaine, crack, and ecstasy. This is when I decided I was going to get healthy the right way and try to inspire my Mother to take her cancer diagnoses seriously. I ended up losing 45 lbs. without any fat burners. I discovered "Eating Clean".
2010 Finally getting fit! After 2 years of solid weight training and eating clean, my baby muscles were coming out!
My first competition with the INBF Alamo Showdown 2011. Placed 3rd top 5 in San Antonio, Tx. my first time competing.
Opened up Fit Science LLC in 2011 after my Mother was fired from her job because her cancer came back the 3rd time. In addition, at the gym I worked at they wanted to cut my wage down by half and I could not survive on such a wage for the transformations I was giving people with my knowledge.
2014 When I won my first Pro Card with the WNBF. Fit Science LLC had been open for almost 4 years!
My 2nd Worlds Champions with the WNBF were I placed 4th top 5!
2017 WNBF Pro Extravanga in Augusta, GA. Placed 3rd top 5!
2017 Almost 10 years later a gym owner, certified bodybuilding judge, competition prep coach and Pro Natural Figure and Fit Body Competitor!
