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Mr. Olympia 2014 Analysis, Part 2

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Women's Bodybuilding and Women's Physique Review

Last week I reviewed the winners of the Figure and Bikini divisions at the 50th Olympia competition. This week I will be reviewing the winners of the Women's Bodybuilding and Women's Physique divisions.

Women's Bodybuilding

1. Iris Kyle – Iris in the winningest bodybuilder in history. No other person (man or woman) has won 10 Olympia titles. She has retired after winning this, her 10th title. She looked amazing. Her conditioning was spot on and her back was detailed.

2. Alina Popa – Alina had balance, symmetry and conditioning that were perfectly on point. Many in the audience thought she was better than Iris Kyle.

3. Debi Laszewski – This is the second year in a row she has placed third.

4. Alana Shipp – She turned pro in 2013 and has been making great progress. She has great conditioning but needs to pack on more muscle to be competitive.

5. Yaxeni Oriquen – She dropped to the 5th spot. She has done 17 Olypias and finished in the top 5 in 13 of them.

6. Anne Freitas – This Brazilian bodybuilder came in 9th last year. This is a huge improvement and should serve to motivate her for next year.

Women's Physique

1. Juliana Malacarne – This Brazilian competitor looked full, balanced and perfectly conditioned. She was the solid choice for first place.

2. Dana Linn Bailey — Dana looked stunning as always. She was dialed in on her abs, hams and glutes. They were all three the best in the division.

3. Tycie Coppett – Coppett should be proud of her showing. She looked amazing.

4. Karina Nascimento – She moved from 8th last year to 4th this year.

5. Sabrina Taylor – Sabrina did a tremendous job. She went from 13th last year to 5th this year. With a continued effort in the direction she is taking things she will contend for a top 3 spot next year.

6. Mindi O'Brien – She was 15th last year and 6th this year. That is a tremendous improvement and one she should be very proud of.

Both divisions showed ladies who were in tremendous shape. It was impressive to see the muscle these ladies were carrying on stage. I am sure the fans in attendance really enjoyed this part of the competition.

Please return next week as I discuss the Men's Physique division.

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Lifestyle Changes That Last

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You've been on many different diets. They seem to work for a period of time and then stop working. Have you ever wondered why? I am going to suggest that you don't need a diet, you need a lifestyle change.

Create A Plan

Eating right is a way of life. It isn't something you do for a period of time and then go back to the way things were. Taking control of your eating habits is a tough thing at first, but once you establish a plan of action and then execute it things get much easier. Examine your current eating habits and then make a plan that you are able to stick to. Creating an unrealistic plan will do nothing for you, it has to be something you can personally accomplish.

Make Small Changes

Once you have a plan and have identified how you will take control, break things down into very small steps. This, to me, is why eating 5 or 6 small meals a day works. I am able to be full all the time so I steer clear of snacks that might derail my progress. In addition, taking baby steps makes it more likely you will achieve those smaller goals and that gives you motivation going forward.

Change One Thing at a Time

Don't jump all the way in and change everything all at once. If meal preparation has been an issue for you, work on that until you've gotten it down. If eating 5 or 6 small meals a day is an issue, fix that before moving on. If meal timing has been an issue, work on that and get it under control. As you make these changes you will be building towards your ultimate goal of a lifestyle change that lasts.

Get an Accountability Partner

Involve a friend or loved one in your plan. Getting help from people who care about you will just make you work that much harder at being successful.

Celebrate Your Success

Make sure that any eating plan includes some reward meals. No, I am not talking an entire day of eating what you want, just a single meal during the week where you reward yourself for being consistent and sticking to the plan. Studies show that it is much easier to stick to a change like this if you have a reward meal to look forward to. Give it a shot and you will be surprised at how quickly you make the changes you needed to make.

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Monday Madness: Get Bigger Faster and Stronger

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Most people who go to the gym have some sort of goal in mind. Maybe they are looking to get leaner? Perhaps a few want to get bigger. Even some more want to get faster. Today I want to share with you some tips for getting bigger, stronger and faster.

Do 4 Hard Strength Training Workouts Per Week

If you want to get bigger you are going to need to recover properly. By hitting the gym 4 times a week you will give yourself ample recovery time. The key here is that your strength training workouts need to be hard. Do not just phone them in. Work until you can't work anymore.

Limit Your Workouts to 45-60 Minutes

In order to stay in the anabolic state and enable muscle growth you need to keep your workouts shorter. Get the job done in 45 to 60 minutes. This will insure you are working hard enough because if you can't get the job done this quickly then you are half assing it.

Lift Heavy and Use Big, Compound Exercises

Lifting heavy with squats, deadlifts, military presses, rows and chin ups should be the basics of your routine. If you can deadlift 600 lbs I guarantee you will have a strong muscular back. The heavy compound exercises really get the job done and quickly.

Always Keep a Training Journal and Push Yourself with It

The principle of Progressive Overload is a very basic one. It should never be ignored. This means adding weight on a regular basis. If you fail to do that you will stall your progress. Log down your results and then aim to improve upon them as often as humanly possible.

Change Up Your Program Every 3 to 8 Weeks

In order to avoid your body adapting to your routine you will need to change things up every so often. If you are a beginner you can go longer before making a change. If you are more advanced do not wait longer than 3 weeks before changing things.

Maximize Your Recovery

In order to grow you need to fully recover. Utilize the tools available to you to help with recovery. Be sure to stretch, use ice, use foam rollers and walk or swim on days off. These things will maiximze your recovery.

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6 Ways Rest Changes Everything

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Rest is something most people tend to overlook. They believe that if they take “some” time off or get “some” sleep that it is “good enough” but that couldn't be further from the truth. Rest is a variable that effects recovery, growth and future strength gains. The following are 6 ways rest can change everything.

Maximize Recovery

As soon as you complete a workout your body goes to work attempting to recover. It tries to mend the torn muscle fibers. Recovery can be thrown off by the number of days you train or the amount of sleep you get. Adjustments to both can help you recover better.

When I was doing a High Intensity Training (HIT) routine, it asked me to lift 3 days a week (Monday, Wednesday and Friday). After pushing hard for 3 weeks my weights were at an all-time maximum. Suddenly I was having trouble with my favourite exercise—-the deadlift. At the suggestion of my friend and mentor, Carlos DeJesus, I cut one day out of the weekly schedule. I dropped to 2 days a week. My instincts said this was crazy, but I listened to my mentor and took the extra day off. Almost instantly my weights began to grow again. I saw gains after a period of being stalled. Just trimming one day from the training schedule gave me what I needed to take my body to that next level.

Maximize Growth

It is during rest that the body repairs and grows the muscles. The more rest you get the more you will wash your muscles with natural growth hormone. You need to sleep to grow.

Maximize the Next Workout

Resting aides in recovery and recovery makes it possible to do our best at our next workout. By resting properly we will be able to follow the Overload Principle and continue to add weight, sets and reps to our routine.

Maximize Strength

Rest makes us stronger. It is a fact. Our body cannot run efficiently when it is run down. Take the time to rest in order to improve your strength.

Avoid Illness

When we let our body run down we increase the odds of getting sick. Being sick will likely keep us out of the gym. This is why it is important to get enough rest. Stay healthy and you can continue making gains in the gym.

Maximize Mental Ability

I don't care what you've read, the brain plays a huge part in our training. I personally use visualization when doing exercises, seeing myself in my mind maximally contracting each muscle on every rep. Getting enough rest will boost your mental capacities considerably.

Do not ignore the importance of adequate rest.

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Saturday Sharing: My Thoughts on Anabolic Steroids

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Anabolic steroids are a topic often discussed within and outside of the bodybuilding community. They create a very negative impression with many people. I would like to offer my opinion on this somewhat controversial topic.

In the bodybuilding community a battle rages between the natural (“natty”) bodybuilders and the enhanced (“gear head”) bodybuilders. It is so intense that many gear heads claim to be natty when, in fact, they are using anabolic steroids (“gear”) on a regular basis. My feelings on this are my own and should not be attributed to anyone else.

Gear is part of the sport of bodybuilding, like it or not. I believe that anyone who wants to compete at a high level must use gear to do so. It simply levels the playing field a great deal. I am one who even thinks that sports that currently ban steroid use (ie. Major League Baseball) should just allow them. What will happen is that the entire playing field will be leveled and eventually nobody will need to use gear at all.

There are many myths about gear that drive me crazy. One of those is that gear causes rage. I am sorry, but there is no proof of this. It is my own opinion that anyone on gear who is raging has that in his personality before using the gear. It is also said that gear is addictive and will lead to other drug use. This is patently false. People routinely cycle on and off gear all the time.

I believe that the use of gear is a personal choice. If you want to get big and you have no problem taking any of the risks associated with gear, go for it! Bodybuilding is a sport wherein you truly compete against your personal best and if you can improve that using gear then go for it. It is your life and your decision to make. Please note that I am in no way suggesting that everyone reading this article go out and get on gear. All I am saying is that if you are so inclined you shouldn't be embarrassed by it.

If you happen to decide to use gear be sure to read all about what you plan to take before you start. Learn about how to keep things sterile so you don't get a horrible infection. Learn all about the side effects of gear. Get involved by reading discussion boards on the topic (Google this one). Ask questions of people who have experience. They will be invaluable to you as you move forward.

Your foremost concern should be your own health. If you feel completely different while on gear you might need to reevaluate that situation. Whatever you do, don't pretend to be natural when you're not. That just encourages people to go out and try to replicate your workouts when they really can't do so without the gear.

Be responsible. Dispose of your needles and syringes the proper way. Never just throw them in the trash. If you are going to take this path, make sure you don't hurt anyone else along the way.

Gear can definitely improve your gains and give you strength you never thought possible. It can take your training to all new heights. However, it should not be entered into lightly. Think it over and make an informed decision. You won't be sorry if you do so.

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