@vinnykramer

Ok everyone, I'm super excited about today's blog post. I honestly love this fitness page! I love how this athlete and his girlfriend are such an amazing fit couple, plus he is a soldier in the US Army! Please meet @vinnykramer "1/2. Knowing that I have the potential to inspire others to change their life. If people comment, message or ask me questions or tell me I've helped them along the way that's what keeps me motivated. 

3.shoulders 

4. I keep it medium weight. Keep the consistency up, what works well for me is that fact I can do hundreds of reps and keep constant tension on the muscle group in order for it to grow."

@physique_sculptors

Back to the "Blog of Athletes" with today's post! 

Meet @physique_sculptors "I come from a family of athletes and artists.  Growing up I was influenced heavily by both.  That then lead to me trying to merge the two activities together. That's when I found bodybuilding...being able to exercise and also sculpt my body was all I could have ever dreamt of doing. We all have different reasons to start working out; my reason was wanting to transform my body to one day look like a Greek or Roman sculpture.  I've found the best way for me to stay motivated is to surround myself with people who are better than me. I've always been an underdog and that motivates me to work even harder.  My favourite muscle group to train must be back. My go to exercises for back are Lat pulldowns and bent over rows."

Athlete search

I've been working extra hard to find athletes all over the world to participate in the blog! If you know anyone who is interested or if you yourself are interested, please reach out to me. I have a section for comments below, or find me on Instagram/twitter @getsavyy 

Today's workout

Chest press machine:

4 set 15 reps

Dumbbell pull over:

12 reps

Single arm seated curl:

10 reps per arm

Repeat 3 X's

Cable cross over:

4 sets 12 reps 

Cable curl: drop set

4 sets 4 reps per weight total of 16 reps

Reverse curl:

4 sets 15 reps

Cardio:

Elliptical stepper for 25 mins

The holidays

So today I decided to re-cap how I overcome overeating around the holidays. One of the hardest things for me to do is focus on eating clean around the holidays. Honestly it is very difficult for me. One thing I make sure I do is get in solid training sessions with extra cardio, I also incorporate more intensity in my workout with things that make my heart rate higher. The gym I go to does not open on Christmas so I had a day off. So I kind of gave myself extra carbs yesterday cause I knew I was going to train legs today. And train legs I did. 

My workouts:

Squats:

5 sets increase weight by 10-20 lbs per set 

Superset:

Barbell lunges and sled push:

4 sets 

Increase the weight in sled push on the last two sets

Box jumps:

12 reps

Kettle bell squats:

15 reps

Repeat 5 X's

Leg extensions:

Drop set total of 15 reps 

Repeat 5 X's

Leg press:

15 reps 

Calf raises:

15 reps

Repeat 3 X's 

Leg press single leg:

15 reps 

Single leg calf raise:

15 reps 

Repeat 2 X's 

Cardio:

Incline power walk 29 mins 

@argi_st

One thing I love about the Blog of Athletes is that I get a chance to meet people from all over the world. Today's blog is about an athlete is from Greece! I love how he describes fitness! So much love for it. Please meet @argi_st " I guess fitness is like a virus! Once you are infected you have to keep training. I think I was born with that virus, it's been so long since I've  started training that I can't really remember what made me start lifting! It doesn't take much to keep me motivated, I really love lifting, eating clean and of course having all the benefits that come with fitness." When asked what muscle group he likes to train "That's a tough one! I will choose back. I certainly like rows a lot! Pull ups and deadlifts!"

Shoulders

I know I'm late. Today has been so super hectic and it's been very very busy for me. I didn't have an article for today's blog for another athlete so I'm going to check in with y'all on my progress. In these past 4 months I feel so much stronger. Like I have been able to bear so much more weight and it feels so good! 

Today I trained shoulders:

Military press 

3 sets 12 reps

superset with single arm dumbbell press

3 sets 10 reps per arm 

Cable upright row:

4 sets 15 reps

Face pulls:

4 sets 15 lbs

Lateral raises:

4sets  10 reps per arm

Super set with Dumbbell curls:

4 sets 12 reps per arm 

Cardio:

Elliptical stepper 35 mins

@mr.justlift

What's a better reason to get fit then to worry about not being around to watch your children to grow up? Here's a story that puts that perspective into view. 

@mr.justlift "I started working out when i found out i was gonna be a dad, because i had pre diabetes and my eating habits weren't that great i remember i passed out once and went to the hospital i found out i had over 300 of glucose levels so i started changing lifestyles because i didn't want my son to follow my previous mistakes. I love working out shoulders and my favorite exercises are seated shoulder presses with a barbell."

@brandon_dowden

Alright everyone, as we continue on the Blog of Athletes I'm wondering how much you all are enjoying this, also, if you're an athlete that wants to be featured, please message me on Instagram @getsavyy. 

Today's blog post follows @brandon_dowden , Brandon started training in Highschool as he was on the football team, but once school was over he stopped being active, here is his story "Sounds great! Okay so I started training throughout high school as I played on the football team, but after I had graduated I had stopped sports completely and basically just gained a ton of weight! I saw myself at my worst at 240lbs not even a year out of high school  (2014) (70lb gain), this was my worst i was depressed and hated myself and how i looked so I decided I wasn't happy anymore and started to research diets and exercise and started to hit the gym hard. After 1.5 years I am now sitting at 160lbs, and in the best shape of my life mentally and physically! Now I am here to motivate everyone to build there true happiness! What gets me motivated is seeing others achieve there goals, and seeing my own body transform dramatically! Anyone can achieve anything they want! But sometimes it just take a bit of a push! Which is why I'm here:) My favorite muscle group is definately back! My 3 main exercises for this are simply wide grip pull ups, t bar rows, and deadlifts 💪👍"

How inspiring! 

@24fit.entrepreneur

Today's blog is about an Australia athlete that was inspired to start working out through a friend. Meet @24fit.entrepreneur "My favourite muscle group to train is back! I love it because it builds muscle around the spine and improves posture and looks amazing when flexed! 

I mainly train it with the pull up and the row movements but focus on stretch and pull of the muscle, I started working out because of a friend and now I love the way It makes me feel and look and I'll never stop ☺️"

@franciscopassarinho

Today's blog is about an athlete that started training at the young age of 13! Here is his story, everyone please meet @franciscopassarinho, "Started training since I was 15YO. I always practiced sports like swimming and martial arts. Lifting became an addiction due to the results and gainz I was making. I was born to be a Bodybuilder and what is what drives me everyday! I wanna be the best at my craft so I grind every single day. I love to train Legs and Shoulders. The main muscles that connect the Lower and Upper Body. Shoulder I love to do presses and lateral raises, Legs I always do squats and deadlifts or variants od them"

It's always great to meet people whose favorite training day is legs. Cheers to that! 

@ab_aesthetics

What I love about this series of blogs is that people are opening up to what got them started in fitness and a lot of them have similar stories. This is why it's a fitfam. 

Meet @ab_aesthetics and his story. " What got me into fitness was in my junior year in high school. I was one of the skinniest guys in school 5'9 weighing at 128lbs before I started working out.One day my dad took me to a LA Fitness that was around my area, I got a free training session and it felt amazing.After that I decided to get a gym membership.For about a 3 months  into my fitness journey I was seeing quick results everyone was realizing my body changing at my school.In my senior year in high school I would go to gym everyday sometimes on weekends too.A year and a half in my fitness journey people in gym started to noticed me not that I cared or anything but I was never approached by people in gym when I started going to gym, and no one would ever say hi or anything I would just mind my business and just workout.After I graduated high school I didn't know what I wanted to pursue in life.In my first year of college I was majoring in accounting,and I was so stress out and misarble that I hated going to school. I'm still a college student I have   dropout yet and I don't plan too lol.But I did change my major into marketing. I could use that time to chase my passion and becoming successful in the fitness industry.I am also Fitness Youtuber,Fitness Enthusiast,and Online Personal Trainer. I've realized that I can make an impact in the world and change people lives,be role a model to other individuals,and to better myself each day.I'm just getting started and I do not plan on stopping to pursue my goals. My favorite muscle group to train is shoulders.I target that muscle group with military press,and Arnold Dumbell Shoulder Press." http://youtube.com/c/ABAesthetics

@itisbritt

Ok everyone! I'm so excited by the turn out of athletes that are willing to participate in this blog of athletes! And it makes me more excited when I have other fit chicks that wanna be apart of it, it makes me so happy. It makes me happy because as a woman, I struggle to this day finding stuff that works for me, and with this, I can try new things and have different ideas. 

Enough about what I like, today's blog is about @itisbritt and when I got a hold of her story I was very interested because she doesn't weight train and that's something I love.With abs/core being her favorite muscle group to train here is how she targets them "l only do yoga and dance so I do isolation movements when I dance and breathe into deep stretch poses in yoga. I've been doing yoga for 12 years, haven't been in a gym / lifted weights for 9 years, former swimmer and cheerleader. Motivated is diet; I love what I eat and I've trained my brain to enjoy nutrient rich foods so I don't even crave super processed stuff--it makes me sick now. So even when I have a cheat meal, it's almost a normal meal for anyone else. I make healthy choices easy and exciting for me. If I feel a little fluffy after going out to eat a little too much I just add peppers to my meals and cut out bad carbs.Other than that motivation, I get recognized for my work I do on my body from followers and friends and they tell me I inspire them, and that makes me want to always do more to inspire more people to be their best selves"

@jcannonofficial

So today's blog is really deep to me. The athlete in today's blog opened up to me a bit and honestly I'm so happy he did.  I know there are many people out there who have gone through the same thing, me being one of them. @jcannonofficial started training at the young age of 12 years. Here's what he said "The reason why I started was because I was always outcast by others for how skinny I was. At the age of 12 I was 5'9 and 112lbs. I trained everyday in my bedroom doing push ups, sit ups and pull ups. I eventually made my way into a gym and trained there every morning at 4:30am before school. I grew up on welfare and I never had the money for proper nutrition growing up and haven't started my first diet until the age of 19. Now I'm 25 6'0, 230lbs. I own my own personal training company and clothing company. I've come a long way but my journey isn't over.My favorite body party to train is my back because it was once my weakest body part and it's now my strongest. I build my back off of heavy deadlifts and tbar rows" 

How amazing is that? Taking something negative and making it into something so positive. 

@colossusfitness

You all don't understand how excited I am for todays blog. One of my ALL TIME favorite athletes said he would be part of my blog of athletes 

Favourite Muscle Group to Train

My name is Kyle from Colossus Fitness. I'm an elite online fitness coach and full time youtuber. At the moment my favourite muscle group to train is shoulders. There's just something about going into the gym, focusing on a small set of muscles and leaving with a huge pump. When it comes to shoulder day I don't think you should be afraid of lifting heavy weights, but you should also put a huge focus on the higher rep range and hypertrophy. For me, I start with pressing movements which will generally work the anterior(front) head, then move into exercises that work the lateral head(side), and finish off with rear(back) delt exercises. Don't forget about those traps also!

An example of what a typical shoulder day would look like for me is as follows:

3x6 dumbbell shoulder press

3x8 Arnold press

3x8 Upright barbell rows

3x10 front dumbbell raises

3x10 Lateral dumbbell raises

3x15 dumbbell shrugs

3x12 facepulls

Most of the exercises listed above are shown in our latest video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKN4uwTA4zg

I hope you learned a little about the way I like to approach my shoulder training routine and work towards getting those boulder shoulders!

Kyle G

Colossus Fitness

Athletes wanted

So I've been trying to get as many athletes and fitness people to be a part of my blog and honestly it is harder than I ever thought before. So I'm asking ok if you who you want to be featured on the blog please let me know and I will try endlessly to get them on the blog! 

Today was like every other Saturday for the past month:

I did two full circuit room rounds and then I did an hour long cycling class. 

More changes

So one of the gyms I go to upgraded BIG time and today I went to check it out and hand one of the BEST leg days ever. In a long time. I'm going to be training legs here on a weekly basis because it was just so amazing! 

Today's workout:

Free weight squats:

80 lbs 15 reps

90 lbs 12 reps

100 lbs 10 reps (3 sets) 

Sled push:

45 lbs plate for the length there and back

Box jumps:

10 reps

Repeat 4 X's

Dead lift:

60 lbs 12 reps

Kettle bell swings:

20 lbs 15 reps

Repeat 3 X's

Leg press:

Heavy weight 12 reps

Repeat 4 X's

Hip abductors and adductor:

40 lbs 20 reps

55 lbs 15 reps

60 lbs 10 reps

Repeat 4 X's per exercise

Cardio:

Elliptical 10 mins 

Tread mill 10 mins 

Sleep deprivation

Have I ever stressed sleep before? Well let's just say sleep is probably the one factor that can take your training session to the next level. Being in the gym and being exhausted is such a hard and straining workout. Not to add it can be discouraging. Now I'm all for pushing through and never backing taking a break, but honestly listen to your body. 

Today's workout:

V-bar pull down 

60 lbs 15 reps

Wide grip lat pull down:

60 lbs 15 reps

Repeat 4 X's

Lat pushdown:

60 lbs 15 reps 

Repeat 4 X's

Cable row:

50 lbs 15 reps 

Repeat 4 X's

T bar row:

45 lbs 15 reps

Repeat 4 X's

Cardio:

Incline treadmill walk for 30 mins

@connormyersfitness

Ok y'all, so today I'm gonna introduce you all to @connormyersfitness. At just 19 he's already been on stage competing. He started his journey 3 years ago and is still growing. 

"I'm 19 years old and have been working out for about 3 years and have gone from under 100lbs to 175 in that amount of time naturally! However because I was still growing some of that was height! My favourite muscle group to train is chest and one of my favourite chest workouts is:

Incline bench press: 5 sets 1-8 reps pyramid

Flat dumbbell press: 4 sets 6-10 reps 

Incline dumbbell flys: 3 sets 10-15 reps

Decline bench press: 4 sets 8-12 reps

Pec deck: 3 sets 12-20 reps

Cable cross overs: 3 sets 12-20 reps

Flat barbell bench press: 3 sets 8-12Reps"

Putting on 75 lbs of muscle mass in 3 years is amazing! Check him out on Instagram: @connormyersfitness

Sleep

Have you ever been so tired that you couldn't sleep? Well that's been me for the past few days and it is taking a toll on me. You don't realize how much you need sleep until you're not getting it. My workouts have been suffering because of this. I'm still trying to be in the gym and I am giving my 100% that I can. 

Today's workout:

Flat bench press machine:

40 lbs 15 slow reps 

Seated curls:

2 X's 15 lbs 10-12 reps per arm

Repeat 4 X's

Cable push down:

60 lbs 15 reps 

Repeat 4 X's

Cable curl drop set:

60 lbs 4 reps

50 lbs 4 reps

40 lbs 4 reps

30 lbs 4 reps

20 lbs 4 reps

Repeat 4 X's

Dumbbell pull over:

25 lbs 12 reps

Dumbbell chest press:

2 X's 15 lbs 12 reps

Repeat 4 X's

Elliptical stepper machine:

30 mins 

@nicoleariel_fitueroa

So happy I decided to change the blog up and start interviewing people! Im learning so much about people and how they like to train! 

Check out @nicoleariel_fitueroa

"My favorite muscle group to train; 

Pectoral muscles. 

I love to train my chest. My favorite exercise are cable flies, incline chest press and also any form of push ups. I almost always end my chest days with 3 sets of 15 push ups."

How amazing is that? One of the few women I know that loves to train chest! 

Cycling!!

I'm literally dead today! This spin class is killing me. My legs have never been so tired and strained then ever before! I truly love feeling like this. I'm going to start doing his class more often and throughout the week. 

Next week I have some big things coming to the blog tomorrow. I'm so excited for this next big blog post. I have an interview in the works from one of my ALL TIME FAVORITE workout duos!! Im so happy. So lucky. 

Today's workout was:

Circuit room training for an hour and then cycling for an hour. 

Leg day

It was leg day, but I am having serious lower back issues and had to just cool it on dead lift and squats today. It was honestly a struggle for me to just try and get through it but I did. 

Today's workout:

Squats

4 sets 10-12 reps

Dead lift 

4 sets 8 reps

Superset with 

Plate sumo squats 45 lbs 10 reps

Hamstring curls:

55 lbs 10 reps 4 sets 

Hip abductor

5 sets start with a 30 reps, 25 reps, 20 reps, 15 reps , 10 reps

Then increase weight each sets

Cardio:

Elliptical 35 mins 

Back attack

It's been some time since I actually wrote a post and broke down a workout so today I'm taking it back to that! I destroyed my back. Honestly I love feeling like this. I've been adding weight to all my workouts lately and I feel like I'm making real progress. I'm just focusing on toning up right now really. And in January I'm going to start cutting weight again. 

Today's workout:

Wide grip lat pull down

70 lbs 12 reps

Super set with ez bar curls:

20 lbs 12 reps

Repeat 4 X's

V bar pull down:

60 lbs 12 reps

Superset with ez bar curls:

20 lbs 10 concentrated reps

Repeat 4 X's

Cable bent over row:

70 lbs 12 reps

Repeat 3 X's

Lat push down:

60 lbs 12 reps

Repeat 3 X's

Assisted pull ups:

30 lbs 6 sets 5 reps 

Hyper extension:

25 lb plate 25 reps

Repeat 4 X's

Cardio:

Power walking on an incline for 30 mins

Big news

So big news is coming. I'm so excited to for what is to come on the blog. I'm working on getting people to interview for the blog so I'm sorry if I'm slacking a bit. I cannot wait for the big announcement. If you know me, you'll know that this next announcement is huge. 

I trained shoulders today and doubled up on cardio. I'm completely exhausted. Tomorrow is back and I'm upping my weights. Gonna start tracking my workouts again. 

@yazizan

Everyone meet @yazizan. He has a special condition called Marble Bone that causes his bones to be larger than an average persons bones, which in return makes them more susceptible to breaking. 

His journey started with him breaking bones which ultimately cause him to gain weight and become obese. Over time he started to workout and eat healthier as it became a passion for him to be in the gym. 

Here is his favorite workouts and how he utilizes them 

"My favourite muscle to train is abs and deltoid. What I do to kill my abs is honestly never sticking to the same routine. I change my workout every 2 weeks. Most of them consist of hanging leg raises. 

My deltoid honestly I work on it for two hours, working all parts of it. Flies, shoulder press, And I do bent over dumbbells for the rear delts Or pec deck with either cable or machine. Then I finish off with upright rows for the traps"

Ugly Truth

People always ask me how I live a "normal" life and train on a constant basis. Well it depends on what your definition of normal is? See my life is far from normal, I have literally pulled away from some of my closest friends to focus on my fitness goals. Yes, I stay in contact with them, but I'm not constantly out like I was before. That's the one thing people don't see is the sacrifices you make. I'm constantly sore, and not just like sore to where it aches, I'm so sore sometimes I don't know if I'll be able to tie my own shoes. Besides being sore, because I'm in a caloric deficit right now, I'm ALWAYS hungry. I actually have to add a bit more calories this week because I'm too tired to work. How about the fact that I'm 22 and sleep at 10 pm? Now please don't think I'm complaining, I chose this I know, but I'm sick and tired of people thinking that it is so easy. I'm trying to lose somewhere between 15-20 lbs in the next 4 months and honestly that should be easy but I'm not sure I have the will power to focus like I once did. I'm going to try my best but I'm not sure I can. 

I'm going to start next week because I'm making some meal changes and I'll be able to track better but honestly idk how this will go. Wish me luck, and welcome to a sliver of my life. 

Today's workout:

Legs

Walking lunges

Leg press

Leg extension

Step ups

Hip thrusts

Cardio will come tonight and is possibly going to be a tabata circuit. 

Saturday

 I am still looking for a few more athletes to interview, please let me know if you know anyone. 

Honestly I think Saturday's are some of my favorite workout days. I do a full body circuit for an hour. It's amazing, peaks my heart rate, and helps me feel the burn. I like this because I get to target each body part for one last day of training and I typically will try to get more focus to my muscles as I train each workout for a min. I'll do a workout for a min, switch to the next workout which typically is something that gets my heart rate peaked, and then I repeat as I move to the next workout. By the time I'm done with two rounds of the circuit room, I'm already feeling dead. 

Then comes cardio, for cardio I have started a spin cycling class and let me tell you, I LOVE it. If is so fun, faced paced, and an ass kicking workout. I feel so amazing and sore after my new Saturday workouts. It truly is KILLER. 

Athletes wanted

I haven't missed a day and I don't plan on too, but I'm looking for athletes to interview. Please message me or comment if you or someone you know is interested

Today was a leg day:

Squats

Dead lift

Hamstring curls

Bulgarian squats 

Hip abductors 

Hip adductors

Cardio:

High intensity tabata circuit 

Thanks Giving

This is going to be the hardest day to keep away from food! And honestly it will be a challenge for me. I'm going to try my best. I pushed myself a little extra in the gym today and on cardio so I could accommodate to eating a little more. I'm going to use my food as fuel tomorrow because I'm training legs and I'm going to destroy it! 

Today was a FULL back day which should be easier for me but really it isn't. I did a tabata circuit on the elliptical to keep burning calories all day

Happy thanks giving everyone! 

My Favorite

Since I haven't found another athlete to interview just yet, I'm going to give my favorite muscle group to work and my favorite workouts for that. 

It's not a surprise that my favorite muscle to train would be glutes. I LOVE leg day. Like really I do. I love pushing myself to the absolute limit to where I am not sure if I am going to be able to walk. Of course my all time favorite work out would be squats. I love that there are different variations of the squat to target separate muscle groups. One thing I do is, I'll pick a weight that i can comfortably hit more reps with, I'll do 105 lbs in a regular squat stance hit 10 reps, then bring my feet in and have a close leg stance for 10 reps, and then go to a sumo stance for 10 reps. 

One thing that has really worked for me is supersets. I always super with a goblet squat or box jumps. 

My second favorite workout is a walking barbell lunge. I always go heavy and try to hit 10-12 reps per leg. 

@JezzaMuscle

Ok y'all, let's try and take this blog to another level. I know I've mostly been shifting away from the set up of the old blog. I want this to be something more motivating and inspirational. I will gladly gift workout tips to anyone who asks, but form now on I'm going to be changing it up.  I did it, I "interviewed" someone. And no I didn't sit there and ask questions, but I did ask what this athletes favorite training day/routine is and here is what I got. 

"To build my biceps I attack it using 3 different exercises all with different hand positioning.

To hit the main biceps I do regular curls (palms facing up) this could be with hammer, dumbbells or cables etc.

To hit the Brachialis I do hammer grips and hammer curls with dumbbells. I like to use this exercise for a chance to heavy weight and low reps, whereas I do strict form higher reps lighter weights on my other bicep exercises.

The final is palms facing down grip, this hits the forearms well, and using reverse grip curls. To make this more challenging and effect grip your thumb over the bar. I usually finish with this exercise. 

A typical bicep routine looks like this;  1) Work up in sets of 10 on Bicep Barbell Curls 2) 3x6-8 DB Hammer Curls  3) 2x20 Reverse Curls. For beginner even just bicep curls is enough to stimulate growth and I also believe a lot of my bicep growth is from weighted chin-ups where I did 5x5 weighted chin-ups for 3 times a week for a month which added great mass to my biceps and lats.

@JezzaMuscle on Twitter please follow me and get in contact about anything fitness related and I will be glad to answer!

If you are reading this and from UK, head over to  referme.to/edffa7o  for FREE 25% OFF voucher to use at bulk powders UK!

Jezza Muscle, twitter.com/JezzaMuscle, facebook.com/JezzaMuscle/ "