Terry Stokes’s BodyBlog

1) I train girls for figure competition.

2) They train hard.

3) Very hard!

Getting ready for a show most of the girls I train workout at other gyms closer to their homes to get in extra workouts. They do high intensity resistance training, plyometrics, Olympic lifting etc. Their training is fast, explosive and the exercises are unique… No single arm db curls or seated shoulder presses with 5lb weights! They train for maximum muscle retention and maximum fat loss…. they need to get lean! They don’t need advice… they need to get lean!  BUT… Every time they go to another gym the local guru comes over to give them ‘advice’:

"You’re training too hard"

"You’re doing that all wrong"

"I think you are overtraining"

"That’s too heavy for you"

"You should carb load, fat load, sodium load, diuretics, fat burners BLAH BLAH BLAH etc etc etc…"

If a women is in the gym at 12% body fat… looking healthy and strong - SHE PROBABLY KNOWS WHAT SHE IS DOING! Just because she is training hard and it makes you uncomfortable, because you are unfamiliar with the exercises (so therefore they must be wrong), because she is pouring sweat from 35 lb db snatches, because she collapses on the floor after a difficult circuit of pullups and jump squats - Don’t underestimate her ability to train hard and push herself, don’t underestimate her knowledge and don’t bother her - just "Shut up and let her train" - I promise she won’t hurt herself! Promise!

Held my first figure posing seminar yesterday 3 1/2 hours of what I hope was invaluable information. The audience consisted of all ages, shapes and sizes. The most incredible thing about it all was that you can have a teenager or a twenty year old sitting next to someone twice their age… and knowing that they may someday be on stage competing against one another - and the crazy thing is: The older competitor may have the advantage due to muscle maturity and length of time working out. How can you not love a sport where a twenty year age difference may not really matter.

Posing is very difficult to master… so this seminar was very much needed. I really wanted to emphasize that in order to give yourself the best chance to win you must know two things: (1.) What the judges are looking for and  (2.) How to present your body to the judges in order to give them the look they want. Everything I talked about came back to these two points.

I was really excited when I got an email that a 15 year old future competitor was coming with her mom. The chance to talk to someone young before entering the sport was an honor. Coming from a bodybuilding family, she was interested in the figure physique - she was a pretty good poser too! Overall I felt I gave a lot of information. My goal was to take years of everyone’s learning curve. I wanted the participants to look like pros the next time they stepped on stage. So I gave them everything I had.
It was awesome the number of people who came up to me and thanked me for putting up a website that gave them valuable information on training and figure.. all the late nights writing articles and uploading pictures was worth it after hearing some of their comments!

Next up will be my precontest/fat loss seminar for figure competitors - that will be a good one. The workouts I am putting together for that seminar are going to be just plain RIDICULOUS!
I’ve already had request for the seminar from competitors in other states. I will add a bunch of information to it and offer it as a Power Point Presentation on my website (hardbodyfigure.com) in about a week to all who are interested

This blog is an attempt to get some feedback. I am often asked by competitors if their chosen method of birth control will make it more difficult for them to lose body fat. Many women gain weight from birth control and state that it is difficult to lose it. But… what I want to know is if anyone has tried to train for a show or tried to get their body fat down low (into the lower teens) and had a problem they think is related to birth control. Unfortunately the women I train who are not taking birth control seem to get the leanest… I hope this is a coincidence but I’m not sure.

It seems to be those last few pounds that are the most difficult (the pounds that distinguish between a bikini-ready body and a figure competitors body)

This is a touchy subject but my goal has always been to take figure to the next level… so I ask these questions in an attempt to help me and women understand their bodies and to develop the best strategies to help them succeed….

- If you have any experience with weight loss and birth control …good or bad
- Are there better choices (less weight gain) out there?
- Is it possible to tell if the weight you gain is from water retention or fat?

Thanks… I appreciate any advice on this subject

If you’ve seen or heard about the ‘Secret’ you know that everyone in that movie talked about positive thinking and how you must ALWAYS be positive in order to succeed. Well that all sounded good and the people in this video made a ton of money because this is the kind of feel-good stuff people want to hear… but they forgot to talk about the real ’secret’ to success. The fact is, almost any really successful person will tell you about how they were fueled by the fact that people doubted them, laughed at them, about the teachers who told them they wouldn’t amount to much.  People are ashamed to say that the negativity of others is the reason why they tried so hard. The top motivational speakers in the world will tell you to embrace these feelings and use them for positive… because it’s normal to try and silence your critics. Those of you who are looking for a career in fitness/personal training are going to hear this: "When are you going to get a real job?"   …and being a figure coach is even worse.

Negativity and training for a figure competition:

Every once in awhile I train someone who has a lot of support and not a whole lot of negative forces operating in their lives. THIS IS A GOOD THING! Unfortunately this is not often the case. As i mentioned in my earlier blog (’Why men hate me’)… the smile you see on stage comes with a price to pay. Arguments, questions and criticism all add up as you prepare for a show. What started as this quest to: "Do something awesome" ; "Set an example for my kids" ; "Do something for myself" ; "Finally get in shape"  …or whatever your reason is for competing is - has turned into a battle to prove to the naysayers that you can do this.

You would think trying to something like this would be an inspiration to others - and in the beginning it is! You hear: "You go girl" or "Wow, that’s awesome… keep me posted."  As you start to see results, the compliments keep coming: "Girls you are looking good." As you see more results you get more excited, but the people close to you don’t seem to share your excitement when they realize that you are not just trying to look good for the beach… you are getting ready for a serious competition. Just when you need them most, they start to say:

- "You’re getting too skinny… are you eating?"

- "You don’t want to start looking like a man, do you?" (‘hmmm…. let me think about this for a minute, you ask such tough questions!’)

- "Why do you want to ‘prance’ around in a bikini anyway… are you trying to build self-esteem?" (‘Maybe i am, and what’s wrong with that? One more thing… It’s called POSING!)

- "Who is this trainer and why is he making you do this?" (Newsflash: "I want to do this so, so badly, that I am actually paying this guy money to train me")

- "Are you obsessed, do you have an eating disorder?" etc. etc. etc….

Sometimes the comments come from people who really just don’t understand. They’ve never seen anyone seriously get ready for a competition of any sort, so they don’t know what it’s like to do something 100%. It can be quite shocking for the average person to see how disciplined and focused someone can be.

Other times the comments are a thinly veiled attempt to discourage and cast doubt in your mind. There are numerous reasons for this but i know that it is very hard for some individuals to see others succeed. If someone is angry at themselves for not having the discipline to follow through on a tasks (many times they are not happy about their own ability to lose weight or get in shape) in their lives, they may steer that disappointment your way… in the form of negative comments.

IT HURTS THE WORST WHEN IT COMES FROM THOSE CLOSEST TO YOU. 

LET THE GYM BE YOUR RELIEF…Turn negativity into fuel to get you through those workouts when your carbs are low and your body fat doesn’t want to leave!
At the gym you can work out as hard as you want and no one calls you obsessed.
At the gym you can talk about dieting… and people understand.
At the gym you can walk around sweaty with your hair all messed up - and nobody cares but instead they admire your intensity.
At the gym…

My last few posts have been about the psychological gymnastics one must go through in the figure world. Today I am going to focus on training because I’ve gotten quite of few training questions lately, so let’s start with widening the back.

V-Taper: Wide back and narrow waist - What figure competitors need to develop to improve symmetry and score higher in competition. The wider your back is the narrower you waist looks… this is the illusion of the v-taper.
Exercises that build the back are categorized in 2 categories:
1) Exercises where your arms are parallel to your body (pull-ups and pulldowns)
2) Exercises where your arms are perpendicular to your body (all rowing exercises)
Both types need to be performed to completely develop the back

Today I am going to focus on the best exercise for widening the back - Close-grip pulldowns

Most women are under the impression that wide-grip pulldowns will make you back wide… not really!
The reason close-grip pulldowns are more effective is because the lats are stretched more at the beginning of the movement (arms are extended overhead), which means you are getting a fuller range of motion (the fuller the range of motion - the more muscle fibers that are involved). The wider your arms go out toward the side - the shorter the movement becomes (in wide-grip pulldowns). So my suggestion for someone looking for size is to begin your back workouts with close-grip pulldowns because you are strongest at the start of your workout.

Wide-grip and underhand grip both have advantages:

  Wide grip pulldowns hit the muscle from a little different angle which means different muscle fibers are affected, you can also lean back slightly when pulling down to help squeeeze out a few extra reps

The Underhand grip is great because the biceps are more involved which means you may be able to squeeze out a few more reps. BUT… The best way to use the underhand grip is right after going to failure with the overhand grip, this will help get out a few more reps. Let me explain:
a) perform OVERHAND pulldowns until you can’t do another rep
b) immediately switch to the underhand position and continue the set
c) because you biceps are more involved with the underhand grip, you should be able to pump out a few more reps and really exhaust those lats (this is intense)

caution: always keep a slight bend in your elbows (when arms are overhead) when performing pulldowns. This insures that the muscles are supporting the weight. If you completely extend your arms overhead you put all the stress on the shoulder and elbow joints… ouch!

Posing the back is the most difficult thing for a figure competitor to learn. Many women compete in show after show without learning how to flex their back properly. This will cost you points and leave you looking narrow and unsymmetrical. I wrote a detailed article on my website about posing the back. It explains everything and has some good graphics: http://www.hardbodyfigure.com/Figure2.html

During a training session the other day one of the competitors I train said: “You should call your training style Beatdown 101.” I laughed because I always tell people that getting woman to lose body fat is like being in a fight. It’s me against their stubborn metabolism – sometimes I’m trying to increase someone’s metabolism that’s been damaged from years of anorexia, bulimia etc. (that’s the dark side of competitors/competition that I will get into at a later time).

I remember the first time I gave someone a diet and they actually lost weight… while eating more food and more often! I thought “Holy #@#% this really works!” Then I started training competitors who needed much lower body fat percentages than Mrs. Kramer, the 52 yrs old woman who just wanted to lose 10lbs for her high school reunion.

The fight begins:
How many nights have I stayed up calculating carb, protein and fat ratios for (insert name)…so that I can get her body fat down from 15% into contest range (around 10%). I know she is working her butt off and following her diet. “Why is it so freakin’ hard for woman to lose weight?” I repeatedly ask myself.

I try to think of solutions:

“Should I have her do cardio, first thing in the morning, on an empty stomach?” (hmmm… I already cut her carbs in the evening, by the time she wakes up in the morning she won’t have enough energy to complete a decent cardio session at 6:00am)

“What about splitting her cardio up into 2 sessions?” (hmmm… 2 cardio sessions and a weight training session everyday might be hard because she has a 3 year old and a 6 year old and her husband works 10 hours a day).

“Got it! I’ll just increase her cardio!” (oh, I forgot her old knee injury is starting to act up and I may need to DECREASE her cardio… yikes!)

Competitors don’t sleep well at night when their weight/body fat percentage doesn’t change. They text me, email and call me… all day. I give everyone the same speech before dieting starts but no one seems to remember:

1.      Your fat loss will fluctuate: down 2 lbs one day… up 1 pound the next day

2.      There will be times when your fat loss will slow down despite your hard work… this is your bodies way of  trying to hold on to fat and water

3.      There are no magic pills or potions that will help you lose weight faster (the first question I get is: “Is there something I can buy to help me lose weight faster?”)

4.      Patience, patience… It may take a new diet 1-2 weeks before it works – as body fat decreases a new diet will have a lesser effect than an earlier one because there is not as much fat to lose.

‘Beatdown 101’ is coming from all angles - I’m fighting their bodies, their minds and myself… “Is there anything else I can do?” Repeats itself constantly in my mind like a scrolling neon sign.

“Is there anything else I can do?”

“Is there anything else I can do?”

“Is there anything else I can do?”

Five women counting on me to get them in the best shape of their lives… their family and friends will be there… I will not lose this battle – “Anybody got a  Band-Aid?”

Not too long ago, those who didn’t want figure to succeed in the male-dominated sport of bodybuilding would say that figure was nothing more than a glamorized bikini contest.

This is a response to an email I received from a prospective competitor, who asked the question: “Is figure competition like a bikini contest?”

Let’s get something straight right now. THIS IS NOT A BIKINI CONTEST! The journey you are about to undertake is going to be one of the most difficult you will ever embark on, If not the most difficult. It is one of hard work, determination and a single-mindedness bordering on obsession……. and often lonely.

The group you belong to is few in numbers because your goals are radical and extreme: to dramatically change your body by building muscle and losing body fat, reaching a state of leanness and muscularity most women can only dream of…. and then present that body in front of a panel of judges whose job it is to scrutinize your physique from head to toe - looking for flaws!

Somewhere between 12-14% body fat your body will start to fight back. Your hormone production slows… your body is not ‘regular’ anymore. No more periods! “Good… one less thing I have to worry about.” Now hunger is your enemy… as bad as you want to cheat – you couldn’t bring yourself to do it anyway, you’re too close to mess up now. Self doubt creeps in:

-         “Why am I doing this?”

-         “Am I obsessed like everyone says?”

-         “Do I have enough muscle?”

-         “Can I really do this?”

…nothing is going to stop you, you keep going

Standing next to you will be another women, who trained just as hard as you (her shoulders will look a little better than yours, you’ll notice). Her personal relationships will be strained from the demands of training and dieting, just as yours will be. Her fiancée won’t even bother to come see her compete. Neither your family members nor friends understand:

   - why you’ve been working out twice a day,

   - why you’ve been packing your meals in small plastic containers and

   - why you can’t eat carbs after 4 pm?

Why? Why? Why? The only people who understand will be your trainer and the other seven competitors standing along side you……… did I mention lonely?<strong />

My name is Terry Stokes and i am a figure coach. Years ago when I realized I had the ability to change women’s bodies, I decided to train someone for a figure show. She did great and came in second only to Jelena Abbou (the most sought after figure cover girl in the world). That was wonderful and all but throughout the process her significant other had a serious issue with our training… and it only got worse! I wanted to say: "Dude I train 7 days per week, 60 hours per week, have a waiting list of clients calling me every day… oh yea, and a 2-year old at home who I have to take to and from daycare 5 days a week. The last thing I want is you wife!" But of course I couldn’t do that. I just had to smile every time I saw him and pretend like we were buddies… even though  I know he hated every beat my heart took. She was shy, very shy when i started training her… and had never walked in heels before. When it was all over she had a ton of self confidence, people commented on how beautiful she was, she held her head up when she walked now - It was a true transformation. It seems like that’s what a guy would want… how silly was I? Then it hit me - as I was thinking to my self about why a guy would not want a women who was strong, confident, and in great shape. Mental confidence + Physical strength = Power and Control! My clients had more power and control in their lives now. What I had done was shift the balance in a relationship - i made things more equal… ooops! Silly me, I was just trying to put someone in a figure show.

I remember backstage as I was putting oil on her and guys would walk by and comment "Wish I had your job" or "Don’t work too hard, ha ha!" If they only knew what i was thinking with her reluctant husband and her ex-military father in the audience. My biggest concern was which side of the auditorium they were seated on…. so that i could stay on the other side! When she walked across that stage, all I could think about was that shy girl who always wore the baseball cap and walked with her head down. Where did she go… this was a beautiful woman on stage, full of confidence and not giving a damn what anyone thought because she was, as she so often said: "Doing something for me."  I knew right then that I was hooked, I had never experienced anything like this before. My life had just changed! Now if I can only find away out of this auditorium without running into her family!

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