Transform your dreams into a Reality

Hi everyone!

I want to adress something I have been meaning to do for a while. In fact, it was the sole reason Nate and I created the blog.

I was hired this fall as a personal trainer. I was very excited to start working with all my new clients. I wanted to inspire and motivate them, but I never imagined I could have been this successful in my efforts.

My first client stepped into the doors with a goal to merely shed 2 or 3 lbs of body fat. She had a small frame to begin with, but she wanted a trainer who could push her outside of her comfort zone. Little did she know, that I had my own goals for her. I wanted her to achieve this aesthetic goal, however, I also wanted her to learn more about traditional weightlifting. I wanted her to gain the confidence to be able to walk into any weight room and not be afraid to lift heavy weight, in fear of getting "big". I also wanted to give her the knowledge that my trainers gave to me. The power that living a healthy style truly has. (We'll get into that later)

We started the 3 month program with a bang! She was incredibly willing and excited for any challenge I threw her way. Some workouts she crushed, while others she relied on me to push her through. There were times when she would call be crazy and say that she can't do this! I would tell her," You can do anything for 30 seconds". The sessions progressed and her weights and abilities increased. With this, we began discussing diet. I am not a nutritionist, however, I did suggest that she eat "clean", meaning staying away from processed foods. At the end of our 3 months together, we did a body fat measurement and compared it with the results from the first day. Here they are:

The results were incredible! She lost nearly 5 lbs of body fat and gained 1 lb of lean muscle. I cannot express how happy we both were in this moment! Not only did she do that, she also adopted  the "eat clean" lifestyle and has more energy then ever! She is also comfortable with all the equipement in the weight room, and is able to conduct a full workout on her own.  

She is a true example of why we do what we do! We want to empower and motivate others to achieve their fitness and health goals. Even though we both enjoy competing in bodybuilding, I want you to know that you do not have to be a bodybuilder in order to see changes in your body. As long as you set a goal you can do it! Dream big and don't forget to write it down. Set up checks for yourslef to make sure your the right path towards your goal. 

More importantly, I want you all to understand that this does not just apply to fitness or health goals, it also applies to all aspects in life. This is certainly what attracted me to fitness in the first place. It is extremely empowering when you are able to set a goal, and have the ability to transform it into a reality. 

I hope I can give you all the gift of health and fitness this Christmas. And I hope you all can experience its empowering effects in all aspects of your life! 

-Kate 

Nate's Anabolic Leg Workout!

Leg workout with powerlifter Andrew Jones and bodybuilder Massimo Del Sordi.

Warm-up with stretching and some leg extensions.

 Bands used are Elite Fitness Bands short and long.

Lift 1 Barbell Squats

10 x 135

10 x 225

5 x 315

Light Orange Bands Aided

8 x 365

6 x 405

3 x 495

5 x 455

5 x 405
(Drop sets are without bands and without rest)

Drop set 315 to failure

Drop to 225 to failure

Drop to 135 to failure 

Lift 2 Leg Press (close feet and knees)

12 x 4 plates

Light Orange short bands resistance

10 x 4 plates

10 x 5 plates

10 x 5 plates (10 partials them 1 full press)

(red short band around knees for the last set)

Lift 3 Hamstring Single Leg (most sets to failure them partial reps)

10 x 60

10 x 75

10 x 80

Dymatize Recoup BCAA + Glutamine + Electrolytes

Lift 4 Seated Calf Raises ( 2 sec count up and 4 sec count down)

20 x 80

20 x 80

20 x 80

Lift 5 Seated Two Leg Hamstring Curl

3 sets to failure then 10 partials then 1 full rep

10 x 230

10 x 250

10 x 280

Lift 6 Knee Extensions ( 7 series)

12 x 120

12 x 120

12 x 120

12 x 120

12 x 120

12 x 120

12 x 120

Protein Shake with ¼ cup of oats

Stretch and Foam Roller

Post Workout Meal

It was great to finally get a chance to workout with both of these guys together.  We are all very serious and experienced lifter; this set the stage for an epic leg workout!  This was one of the most challenging workout I have ever done in my life.  If it wasn't for Andrew and Massimo yelling at me encouraging me  not to give up and keep going I would not  have been able to finish on my own.  Having workout partner that are on your same strength and intensity level can make your workouts so much better.  Working out by yourself is good at times but, when you have great workout partners they can sometimes push you harder than you can push yourself.  You have to be a competitive person if you are going to get into bodybuilding or powerlifting and having some friendly competition can bring your workouts to new intensities.  So if you find that you need some motivation go find yourself a workout partner and hit the weights!

Would like to thank Andrew Jones and Massimo Del Sordi for the motivation and a killer leg workout!

Stay tuned Pictures and Videos from the workout coming.  Trust me you will want to see this!!

455!

Getting ready for the drop sets

The aftermath

Cauliflower Crust Pizza

Try out this awesome recipe. Its great for post workout! Extremely low in carbs. Also feel free to add whatever toppings you like.

You will need:
1 Head of Cauliflower
1 whole egg
Italian Spices
1/4 cup Mozarella Cheese
Tomato Sauce

1. Preheat oven to 450F.
2. Remove the leaves and hard center core of the cauliflower.  Cut into florets.  Wash and then allow the cauliflower to dry completely.  (You want the cauliflower completely dry and you will NOT be adding any water when cooking, this helps to cut down on the boiled cauliflower taste and smell.)  Once dry, fill the bowl of a food processor about half full and using the chopping blade and the pulse action, process the cauliflower until it looks like the size of grains of rice.  Add the processed cauliflower to a microwave safe bowl and repeat with the remaining cauliflower.  Once all the Cauliflower has been processed and added to the microwave safe bowl, cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap or a lid.  Microwave on high for 7 minutes.
3. Place the cooked Cauli-Rice on a tea towel and roll it up then squeeze out as much of the water as possible…and I mean really, really squeeze as you want it as dry as possible. 
4. Spread the cauli crust onto a Silpat or parchment paper lined baking sheet. I just used a pizza stone though.
5. I kept the crust pretty thin, about 1/4-inch thick.  Bake for 15-20 minutes until the crust is firm and golden brown.  Remove the pan from the oven and turn off the oven and turn on the broiler and move the rack to up close to the broiler.
6. Top the cooked crust with sauce, cheese and toppings of your choice.  Place under the broiler until the cheese is bubbly and melted

The Cauliflower rice recipe is also great as an alternative  to actual rice. Some of my friends have even used it to make sushi! Try it out for yourself and let us know what you think! 

-Nate and Kate 

Protein Muffin in a Mug

Here is a super simple recipe that me and Nate love! Its really awesome as a late night snack when your craving something sweet. Or even as a perfect breakfast or post workout meal. Feel free to experiment yourselves with this recipe by adding oats, flax, pumpkin, the list goes on!

You will need two the basic ingredients:

1- 1 1/2 scoops whey protein power (any flavor of your choice for this recipe I used vanilla)
2 egg whites or 3 tablespoons egg beaters egg whites (just enough for the protein to be saturated)

Optional: You can experiment by adding any of these fun ideas:
1/2 cup oats
Flax seed
Chia Seeds
Peanut butter
Almond butter
Cinnamon
Stevia (to make it a little sweeter)
Pumpkin Spice
Pumpkin puree
Cocoa Powder
Raisins
Chocolate Chips :)

First add your whey protein into a mug or microwaveable bowl. Then add your egg whites. Microwave for no more than 45 seconds (longer then that will dry out the protein and make it really hard to eat) And thats it! Play around and add any of the ingredients above to make your own protein muffin creation!

My favorite protein muffin is the one that I made here using: vanilla protein powder, raisins, peanut butter, and pumpkin spice!

Nate's favorite protein muffin is: chocolate protein powder, cocoa powder, stevia, peanut butter, and chocolate chips!

Be sure show us your recipes! And let us know what you think!

-Nate and Kate

Kate's Shoulder workout

Everyone has been asking lately whats the secret to Kate's huge shoulders?!

The secret to my round shoulder is a lot of laterals. I am working on a drop set series for my laterals.
I also works on rear delts to help with overall back and shoulder development

We'll here's a sample of my shoulder workout, feel free to try it out for yourselves!

DB Shoulder Press 4x10
DB Drop Set Laterals: Drop set: 4 sets: 10 reps per weight: 5 lb- 10 lb- 15 lb- 10 lb- 5 lb
Upright rows 3x10
Lateral Machine 3x10
Rear Delt Cable pulls 3x10
Rear Delt Split Rope pull 3x10
Single Arm Cable Lateral 3x10
Smith Machine Military press 4x10

If you all are interested we can also make a video on our youtube page of Kate's shoulder workout!

Wants vs. Needs

Good Morning everyone! 

Today Im going to talk about want vs. needs. We all have wants and needs. Needs are things that we cannot live without and wants are which we would like to posses. Its very easy to confuse the two. In today's society, we have everything we would ever want right at our finger tips.

I noticed I have been catching myself lately saying I "need" this and I "need" that. I've really had to stop and think do I really need another set of straps that I already have? 

I know I am going on a rant, but I guess the whole thanksgiving season has really challenged me to reconsider that what I believe I need is an object that I merely want. I will be fine not having it for a few days, and in fact I may even forget about it.

This thanksgiving try to really be thankful for the things you have. Be thankful and appreciative for the people in your life, the experiences you have, and the things you already own. Sometimes the hardest part is appreciating and taking care of what we already have in our lives, instead of making never ending lists of what we want. 

Stay tuned for some awesome healthy thanksgiving recipes this week! 

Happy Almost Thanksgiving! 

-Kate 

Hey everyone! If  you don't know us already. We are a couple determined to others about bodybuilding, fitness, and living a healthy lifestyle. We have a youtube channel where we post tons of great workouts. We will be posting our journey of bodybuilding on our blog, as well as awesome workouts, recipes, and all the other exciting things we do!