Christmas around the corner!

I am just going to accept that my blog posts are basically a monthly thing. So, in the last month:

We trained with 2x WSM finalist Jason Bergmann - what an awesome training all around, we all trained hard and it was great to have someone of that level in the room working hard right along with us (and making us look like weenies) and also great for picking up tips! Jason will be back in the spring to train with us again.

We finalized a date to host our 2nd (annual?) Powerlifting competition here at the gym. March 5th - details to come, although I'm pretty sure we're going to cap it at 15 lifters and it will be 3-lift only (sorry, no bench-only, better start squatting!). We've got about 7-8 lifters from Epicentre alone who want to compete so other entries need to get in early - I'll post the link to the entry-form as soon as it's up.

We've also decided to hold a Strongman competition here at Epicentre, most likely in early spring so we can hold a few events outdoors - no date selected yet and events not decided. Details to come on that as well!

Christmas is around the corner - I LOVE IT. There are two kinds of people in the world: Christmas people and non-Christmas people. I am the former, Warren is of the latter (BIG surprise there). I'm driving around listening to Christmas music, I've got my baking done, cards go out tomorrow, decorations are up, presents are bought so now I can relax....on the beach in Miami from the 18th -23rd that is! The gym will remain open while we're away - open this week as usual, next week 6pm-8pm Mon-Thurs, CLOSED Dec.24/25/26, open the following week (hours may be different, earlier...not sure, have to check with everyone and decide) but definitely closed the 31/1/2 and back to regular hours as of the Jan.3rd.

Start thinking of who you want to refer to the gym - BIG promotions coming up in January and you have the benefit of it being the perfect time to take advantage of your friends' post-holiday guilt and new year's resolutions - it's an easy sell.....stay tuned!

Lastly, there are some members and clients that are making me particularly proud these days. It's so fantastic when you get to be a part of helping someone who is out of shape, weak, low on self-confidence and you turn them into strong, fit, active people. I LOVE my job. I get to give people the support and the means to get to where they want to be - and sometimes they don't even know where that is! I nearly got choked up watching one of our ladies pull a deadlift PR the other week and I rejoiced like a proud mom yesterday when one of my 'kids' squatted 170kgs raw, like it was NOTHING. I still get excited about getting someone under the bar for the first time and my favorite members of all are still....drumroll...the beginners. Lemme guess, you thought I was gonna say the athletes right? They're great too - they are fun to work with, you can throw all kinds of crazy stuff at them and they excel - it makes you feel like a super-star trainer. But I still love the beginners - the people who aren't sure training is for them, are scared of looking silly, and have no idea what a deadlift is. With some support from us and consistency on their part, they get great results! And they get excited over the 'little' stuff - when was the last time you saw some meat-head at your gym do a 'happy-dance' and high-five you 'cause he just banged out a few bodyweight pull ups? Many of our beginners have turned into athletes and others are now seasoned trainees, who are not only strong & fit but able to spot properly and give a good lift-off. At the very least, I'm turning them into good 'gym-citizens' if you will, and at best, we are turning out some amazing, inspiring athletes and non-athletes alike (although, it's really only a matter of time before they all want to compete in something.....;)

Hope you're as excited about Christmas as I am!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Kacey

Yoga Classes, Hybrid Programs and nails......

I'm officially launching group classes at the gym, beginning the week of Sept.13th. I'll be offering 45min classes Mon-Fri 12:10-12:55pm, and Saturdays 10-10:45am. I've got a variety of classes - ranging from the women's-only, to kettlebells, bootcamp and a core class. I'm also bringing in a yoga instructor on Friday nights from 7:45-8:30 for an 8 week session. The classes will be low-key, informal, and non-intimidating. No one's gonna light candles or expect you to chant or anything like that...it's a stretching class, plain and simple! I'm hoping to get most of our not-so-stretchy guys to join and of course, the class is also open to stretchy people, members and non-members alike. Just don't expect perfect silence and a whole lotta 'om'-ing going on. Just so you know.

My strongwoman crew is all back to regular training and deciding where to go from here. Tina and Angie will be focusing solely on their powerlifting and they're both off to a fantastic start. Last Saturday Angie deadlifted 85kgs for a whopping 20 reps! Amazing stuff.

Meredith and Joyce have started preparing for another strongwoman competition. They both did very well in Kingston and I'm anxious to see where their training takes them. Warren made some lighter atlas stones for us to start practicing with and I can tell that Joyce and Meredith can't wait to get their hands on them!

Erin had her audition with the stunt company and fitness-wise, it went really well. All the hard work she's put in over the last 3 months allowed her to keep up and stay strong throughout the process. With a little more work on her martial arts skills, I'm sure she's got this one in the bag.

As for moi, I am going to attempt to train for both PL and strongwoman. I know, I know, it's hard to train for two things and be great at both, bla, bla, bla. I've already had this conversation with myself. But I'm going to give it a shot anyway! I'm heading into my 7th year of powerlifting and I still love it BUT, I also really loved doing strongman. So, it's a PL/Strongman hybrid program for me and we'll see what happens.

In case you also follow Warren's blog, don't expect too much activity there in the next two weeks - he's working like a dog these days. Oh and, speaking of dogs, Otto decided to eat the trim off the doorway yesterday and subsequently the nails that were in it so, it was off to the vet for us today! Cause I just don't have enough stuff going on......;)

I feel like I need some sort of catchy sign-off.....Warren uses 'Rock On'......not that I'm envious.....but, suggestions?

Kacey

Kingston's Strongest Women...are from Montreal!

Sunday was the big day for the Epicentre ladies. We arrived at the competition site, Kingston's Family Fun World, around noon. It felt like the film-set of a horror flick...a deserted theme park, complete with broken ferris wheel, old drive-in screen, not another soul in sight...a radio playing somewhere....very creepy. I kept waiting for a guy with a chainsaw to come and attack us.

Anyway, what a day! I definitely had the feeling that the 6 of us had added a good amount estrogen to the competition - things you don't expect to hear at a strongman meet ...someone's cell going off with the Sex & the City theme ringtone.....someone else asking to borrow a tampon.....and my favorite..."GO MOM!!!". I absolutely loved spending the day with these women and watching them give 100% in every single event. They really exceeded my expectations.

Quick wrap-up:

The tire was about 225lbs but much lower and wider than our 250lb'er at the gym. The treads were all worn off which, mixed with the rain, made it hard to grip. We had to flip it back and forth for 90 sec (hello cardio!).

The log was an actual real log. Like, with bark on it and shit. It also weighed more than the 80lbs we were expecting as the starting weight and was much wider than our log so, as a result, some of the girls bombed this event.

Famer's walk - 75lbs/hand, max distance for 90sec. Everyone did well on this one. I think I would have preferred heavier and less distance......when you can walk 330ft with it, it's probably not heavy enough.

Odd object loading was last. Again, the fieldstone was MUCH heavier than the 80lbs originally advertised. It proved to be difficult for a few of us. The anvil, thank god, was lighter than what we expected so we all managed just fine. The keg was last...supposedly 200lbs but again, I've done our 190 here and I would bet money (LOTS of money) that this keg was not 200lbs. But whatever. We did it and we felt like champs!

Joyce finished 3rd for the bronze (SO proud of her!!!) and I finished 1st. I think I won by the skin of my teeth - the girl who came in 2nd is just 20 years old and a monster in the making...watch out for Kaitlyn in future competitions!

So, now it's back to powerlifting for some of us...and maybe another strongwoman contest for others???? I'll keep you posted!

Here's the video from Sunday:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FM5iXj0euXg

Update and the latest video

Training is done - this week is all about rest and recovery for us. Sunday is the big day - we'll be competing for the title of Kingston's Strongest Woman in the afternoon - keep your fingers crossed for good weather...and success!

Here's the latest video of our training (mixed in with the guys' training too):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9eRkDBMMNtk

Enjoy!

Strongwoman update

Training has been going well for most of us. We've had a few casualties (minor strains, keg-bruises, scrapes, nothing major) but all in all, everyone is looking great and should be well prepared for the upcoming contest on August 8th.

In other news, Erin (who is on our team and has been a client of mine for over 1 year now) will be auditioning for a stunt crew at the end of July. Erin is an actor and with her newfound levels of strength & fitness, hopefully she'll get hired by the montreal-based stunt company!

So, back to strongwoman training. Joyce (my book-keeper and member of the gym:) has joined our crew and is going to kick everyone's ass! The guys watched in horror and amazement on Saturday as she did 10x zercher squats with 90kgs...like it was nothing. She also practiced the stone 'load' the other week and well, it was more like the stone 'launch'. I always knew Joyce was strong but I think she may have found her calling!

We also got some new pieces of strongman equipment this week - the yoke is in (built by member Little Nicky) and Fred delivered our custom 80lb log. Meredith (another team member) tracked down 2 more kegs for us and, believe it or not, an ANVIL. Yep, that big thing that falls out of the sky and crushes Wile E. Coyote - turns out it weighs close to 200lbs...and is one of the objects to be loaded in our upcoming contest.

CALLING ALL STRONG WOMEN!

I am putting together a women's team to compete in a strongman/woman event in Kingston on August 8th. The events are as follows:

TIRE FLIP - Flip a 225lbs Tire for max reps in 90 sec.

LOG PRESS – Press the metal Log for max weight from the ground to over head position opening weight 80lbs weight will increase by 10lbs on each successful weight lifted. Competitors must LOCK OUT THE ELBOWS, NO WRAPS OR TENSOR BANDAGES ON ELBOWS. Max time 45 sec.

FARMERS WALK - Pick up and walk till you drop with a 75lbs Dumbbell in each hand for furthest distance 90 sec.

OBJECT LOAD -Load 3 objects 80lbs Field Stone, 150lbs Keg and 170lbs Anvil onto barrels or platform in 90 sec.

Sounds like fun doesn't it?! I think the best part about this contest (aside from the fact that we're gonna kick ass!) is that we're all 'normal-looking', fit women who are just trying out something new, challenging and fun! Too many people hear "strong-woman competition" and immediately envision huge, muscle-bound women with facial hair and man-hands. SO not the case! I bet if we called it a 'fitness' competition, no one would raise an eyebrow. But that's another post entirely....

Send me an email if you're interested in joining us - we're doing our event training mainly on Saturdays. Oh, and we're gonna have and outfit. It will likely involve something pink and some Lululemon. Yay!

I have to get better at this blogging thing!

Once again, I've let almost 6 weeks pass since my last update - unacceptable! As usual, I've had lots of stuff going on.

On June 6th, I completed my first sprint triathlon in Stowe, VT. While the universe seemed to be conspiring against me for the entire lead-up, I ended up having a blast and will definitely do it again next year. It was one of those things on my 'to-do' list and with my 30th birthday upon me it seemed like a good time to go for it. I managed to do the 500m swim in 14min30s. I am really proud of this considering I'm NOT a swimmer and I only hit the pool 3 times before the triathlon. The bike and the run were hell though - Stowe is a very pretty town with lots of rolling hills - but mix that with torrential ( and I do mean torrential) downpours the whole day AND my complete neglect of my nutrition/hydration...it was quite horrible by the end! Despite the incredible cramps in my legs, I felt great crossing the finish line. I have a whole new respect for triathletes and I can also confirm that I have NO interest whatsoever in doing an olympic distance triathlon, or worse, an ironman - EVER. Think of all the other things you could do with 16 hours. Those people are crazy!

The weekend after, Warren competed in the NH State Strongman Championships - you can find all the details in his blog. I'll just say that there was a moment when he was strapped to the 10,000 lbs monster truck and all I could think was "Thank God that's not me". Bad girlfriend, I know.

As many of you know, the gym has moved to a great new home - renovations continue and I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I am also becoming a master tiler, painter, constructor-of-things:) I'll post pics of the new space asap.

We now have an IPF rack at the gym - this is a fantastic piece of equipment that will allow our lifters to practice on a competition-style bench/squat rack. We've also got atlas stones on the way for our strongman crew, a few more kegs and some other fun stuff that is being custom-made.

Watch out for pics and more frequent updates (promise!).

Epicentre is MOVING June 1st!

The last month has been a whirlwind of activity and changes!

The most important announcement is that the gym is moving June 1st to a new, larger space right around the corner from our current location. We will have a longer indoor track, an IPF rack/bench and other new equipment, separate office and waiting area, private parking for personal training clients, as well as an improved bathroom/changing room set-up to serve our members better! More details and exact directions to follow. The group training schedule remains the same (evenings 6-8:30pm) and personal training appointments can still be booked during the day. We will be adding new group fitness classes to the schedule as an additional option for day-time training - keep checking the website for updates regarding the new schedule and class description.

In other news, I decided to something crazy (stupid) and register for a sprint triathlon on June 6th. I'm really excited about it and have been trying to squeeze in the necessary training but with the upcoming move and the addition of an 11 month old american bulldog with separation anxiety to our household, the training hasn't been to0....existant, really. I've gone biking and swimming 2x each and running once. Wowzers. I know. Basically, I've accepted that I am going to show up and do my best and, hopefully, finish the race! That's all I'm asking for at this point. I've never been more aware of how much I've neglected my endurance training over the past 6 years but hey, I AM a powerlifter after all!

Stay tuned........!

Nationals and some memories...

CPU Nationals were held last week (April 8-11th) in Quebec City. Angie and I were both there representing Epicentre and I think we did a pretty good job, if I do say so myself!

Angie lifted on Thursday morning and I was there to coach/run numbers/etc. Angie squatted 115kgs, benched 60kgs and deadlifted 125kgs for a 2nd place finish in the 56kg Open category. These were all PRs for Angie in competition and while she was a bit disappointed with her squats, I was VERY proud of her - this was her first Nationals, afterall!

I did the announcing for one of the men's sessions that afternoon. I was nervous about handling the mic, but in the end, it was actually really fun and the best part was getting to know many of the lifters. Then we hit the town for Angie's celebration dinner......but off to bed early for me as I had to be up for a 7am weigh-in and 9am start.

I think I'm still in disbelief at how it all turned out. I have been chasing my elite total for much longer than what might seem reasonable. For a long time, it was just because I was floundering around in my training, lacking knowledge, experience...and strength. Two years ago, I buckled down (and opened my own PL gym so yeah, that helps:) and decided to actually get somewhere with this lifting thing. I should have totaled elite this time last year, and again in the fall but due to either bad decision making or inability to remember the rules (DON'T DROP THE BAR AFTER YOU HAVE DEADLIFTED AND GOTTEN 3 WHITE LIGHTS, DUMMY!) I have missed it a few times. Anyway, long story short, the plan was: no matter who else is competing, or how close (or not close) our numbers were, to just stick to the numbers I had laid out to total elite and once that was done, go for a record. I did exactly that - I totaled elite at 422.5kgs (getting the provincial record for total) and for my last deadlift I pulled 180kgs, breaking a 12 year national record and fulfilling a 6 year old dream I have been chasing since I first started lifting with Emil Muller at my old cegep - Champlain College. Maybe I'm getting all nostalgic here but bear with me.

Emil was the first person to introduce me to the sport of powerlifting and he's the one who encouraged me to start competing. He used to go to the school gym with me every single Sunday afternoon. He'd tell me stories about his life in 'Czecho' as he called it, the war, about his good friend Ben Weider (yep, THAT Ben Weider), about coming to Canada, about his years of teaching, and all the things he was doing as a 'retired old man' (anyone who knows Emil will understand why calling him 'retired' is just plain funny). He'd wrap my knees, go over squat technique, give me some good sport-psychology coaching and inevitably, throw in a few dirty jokes. Emil did this for countless students before me, giving hundreds, if not thousands of hours of his time.

Even though Emil hasn't been my coach for years now, I credit him as being one of those instrumental people who changed the course of my life, and I've always wanted to make him proud. I still call him before every competition so that I can hear him say (in his fantastic Czech accent) "Be my force with you" and he is the first person I call after every competition to give the run-down on all my lifts.

So, it felt pretty good to call him up on the ride home from Quebec City to tell him I had pulled a National record, totaled elite and finished first for a second year in a row:)

Post Powerlifitng Competition

Well, the meet was last weekend (Feb.13th) and I'm only posting now because it took all of last week to recover from it and knock down the whole set up (the platform still has to come apart). I think we have finally caught up on some much-needed rest.

What a fantastic day! The lifting was great - we had everything from novice lifters (don't forget your DL socks next time!) right up to multiple-record holders like Claude Dallaire and Mat Court. The lifting was impressive all-around and the feedback has been great from everyone who attended. We had tons of spectators, good music, our spotters and loaders ran the platform like a nascar pit, Liquid Nutrition was on-hand mixing up smoothies....and my mom cooked enough food to feed all 12 of my volunteers plus our Referees and their families!

There hasn't been an IPF meet in Montreal in over 20 years and I think we succeeded in making this one fun, accessible and interesting for everyone who attended. Safe to say, I'll be doing another one, and we may even be hosting provincials in 2011! Stay tuned!

Here is a link to the full meet results:

http://www.powerlifting.ca/quebec/Montreal_earthquake.pdf

Also, our good friend and photographer, Manuel Aguilar, was at the meet taking photos of the day's events. You can find his photos here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/thecsman/sets/72157623446332422/

Powerlifting Competition this Saturday!

So, the competition is just two days away and the set-up is in full swing! Our platform is built, chairs are on the way, flyers have made their way all over town and the weights are coming bright and early Sat a.m (volunteers, anyone?).

Things should get underway around 1pm. Liquid Nutrition will be on-site mixing up smoothies for our athletes and spectators, and Rewind Skincare will also be there handing out samples and raffling off large gift basket. Medals will be awarded to the various classes; prizes will be given out to best overall lifter (M/F) and best new or novice lifter (M/F), courtesy of Monsieur Basilic and Liquid Nutrution.

If you are interested in learning more about powerlifting, come by between 1 & 4pm and watch experienced, record-holding lifters go for the big weights and come cheer on our novice lifters who are just getting started! Cheering magically helps the athletes lift more!!!!

Please note that our gym, Epicentre Training, will be closed to the public on Saturday as we are using it as the warm-up room for the lifters. Instead, you can find all the action in room D-200 of the RCA Centre - 1001 Lenoir, corner St-Antoine (behind home depot). Parking is free. Just follow the signs to the competition room on the 2nd floor......and prepare to be amazed!

Hope to see you all there in great numbers!

Last week at Lululemon & Meet Update

With January winding down this means there's only one more week of Epicentre being featured in the window at Lululemon Ste-Catherine. Go check it out if you have a chance - there are photos of our members working out, as well as the prowler and a few other pieces of (well used and loved) equipment.

Update on the upcoming "Montreal Earthquake" Powerlifting Competition Feb.13th -

List of lifters so far:

Tina Zannetos

Nick Lalonde-Fogel

Chris Yantha

Janine Wheeler

Maggie Rafferty

Matt Wiens

Mathew Court

Rocco Forte

Claude Dallaire

Odette Michaud

Olivier Girard

Steven Neveu

Christopher Neveu

Pierre-Olivier Caron

Claude Verrier

Nello Miele

Things are coming together nicely - should be a fun day!

Powerlifting Competition Feb.13th!

We'll be hosting a powerlifting meet - "Montreal Earthquake" - at Epicentre on Feb.13th. All lifters are welcome. New and Novice lifters are encouraged to come as well. I am working hard at getting sponsors so that we can have some great prizes for BL's but also for best new/novice lifter.

Registration closes Jan.28th so be sure to get your entries in on time! If you have any questions regarding the meet, or if you're new to the sport and you'd like some help getting ready for your first meet, get in touch with us! If you live in the Montreal area, you may wish to come by and train with us before the meet and make sure you know the basics.

I'll post info regarding registered athletes, sponsors, etc., as it all comes in. You can find the registration form here:

http://www.powerlifting.ca/calendar.html

Looking forward to making our first meet a success!

Athletes registered thus far:

Chris Yantha

Nick Lalonde-Fogel

Jannine Wheeler

Tina Zannetos

Fat-Loss Challenge Winners

And the winners of the fat-loss challenge are.......(drumroll!).....

Nancy and Dominique!!!

These two women were very motivated and busted their you-know-whats for the past few months. They never missed a single session and even added extra ones both with me and on their own - going to the pool and doing pilates. They were also very disciplined with their diets and the results speak for themselves.

I am especially proud of Nancy, who finished in first place, as she began the competition with the lowest percentage of body fat to begin with, which actually put her at a disadvantage. Way to go Nancy!!!!!

Nancy and Dominique were rewarded with gift certificates from Lululemon for $150 and $50 respectively, as well as a fit-session at the Ste-Catherine store.