~Michele~’s BodyBlog

One of the things that I am most excited about at the Olympia this year is the Powerlifting Supershow, taking place on Saturday at 3pm on the expo main stage. A year ago I might not have taken such an interest in it, but since then I have been learning a lot about sport and admire the work and dedication that these guys put into their training. I first met Brad Heck at the Arnold Classic in 2007, where he claimed the world record in the 181 weight class by benching 679 pounds. I met a few of the other guys on the Big Iron team that weekend, but had no clue at the time that I would soon be training at their gym, and that we would all become good friends.

Big Iron Gym in Omaha, Nebraska is one of the most respected powerlifting gyms in the world, and although I am not a powerlifter myself, its hard not to get excited about the amazing accomplishments that the lifters achieve meet after meet. When I first started training there, I didn’t know what a monolift was. After a few weeks in the gym, I understood what it was all about. And after watching my first meet, my level of respect for powerlifters increased dramatically. Led by coach Rick Hussey, the Big Iron team has some of the top powerlifters in the sport, and I am very excited to see some of the guys in Vegas benching on the Expo stage!

Shawn Frankl (810 at 198), Jim Grandick (800 at 242), Brad Heck (705 at 181), and Richie Briggs (866 at 275 & is 23 years old) will all be competing at the Powerlifting Supershow. Make sure you don’t miss it on Saturday afternoon, I’ll be there cheering for these guys - its gonna be a good show! This competition in a slightly different format from traditional bench press meets. They will be not lifitng the standard one-rep max, but the lifters will be required to do a two-rep minimum. This is more of an exhibition so that bodybuilders and other fitness enthusiasts can relate to it, but I encourage everyone to check out a traditional full meet to see the big numbers, as well as the squats and deadlifts.

And if you’d like to see what the training atmosphere at Big Iron Gym is like, or want to learn more about the techniques that these guys use, they just made a really cool DVD that is on the gym’s site www.bigirongym.com .

I’m back! Some of my bodyspace friends may have noticed that I haven’t been posting or replying to comments lately. So this blog is to let all of you know that no, I haven’t fallen of the face of the earth, I have just been a little distracted. I think we all can relate to a time when we really need to focus on getting our life in order, which is exactly what I’ve been up to. But the good news is, I have missed this place! I am sorry to everyone who I haven’t responded to, please know that it’s not that I don’t care! I really do!

A lot of you have asked how training is going, and I can honestly say that it is not going as well as I would like it to. We all seem to suffer from a lack of motivation every once in awhile, and how work and responsibilties can distract from our best intentions in the gym. I have definately been training, but it hasn’t been on the same level that I am used to. So if anyone has any advice for me, I would love to hear it!

First of all, I apologize for not writing a new blog in awhile! I recently started a new career, and sometimes you have to focus your time on the things in life that pay the bills… But on that same note, I have been doing a lot of thinking about topics that I would love to address, like the way that I get organized so that I can fit in exercise, work, and time to relax. It’s definately not as easy as it sounds, but I know that I am much more productive when I find a way to do it all, instead of slacking in one area or another.

Another exciting piece of news is that my most recent publication is out! I am the featured Max Girl this month in Max Sports and Fitness magazine (June issue), so run to your nearest Max Muscle and pick one up!

My name is Michele, and I am a Gemini. I am a figure competitor, fitness model, and an AllMax sponsored athlete. YES, I would call myself an athlete. If you don’t agree with me, let’s arm wrestle over it. I am joining the blog world because I want to make a place where I can share my little theories and ideas that relate to fitness. I hope to get others to think about things in a new way, and maybe learn a thing or two. I like to learn things too, so I hope to get plenty of feedback and comments.