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| FIT with Nick welcomes multi award winning, world class bodybuilder CHRIS RADEMACHER! Nick will be asking Chris bodybuilding related questions -some asked by YOU! So, if you would like advice from an expert, send your question HERE. All questions may not be answered, but ALL will be considered to forward to Chris. |
| NICK- Chris, lets start off with you giving a little background on yourself. |
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Chris
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Nick- My background in bodybuilding like most started
through high school sports and on a whim during the summer of 98', I entered
the
Muscle Beach Strict Curl competition with a couple of
buddies just for fun as a day out in the sun. The short version- It was
that day that the bodybuilding bug
first bit me and as I became more involved in the
fitness industry, I realised how much value there was in bodybuilding as a
medium for self development and personal freedom of expression.
Bodybuilding became, in my mind, the ultimate freedom, and my way of making
sense of the world around me.
After studying towards a Kinesiology degree
and acquiring the range of vocational/personal
training qualifications that California had to offer, I saw the
opportunity to move to Los Angeles where I was sure would be the start of a
rewarding career. During that time I gained experience at Warner Bros
fitness centre, managing Gold's Gym Hollywood, and training the personal
training work force. Continuing with my competitive bodybuilding career
as a hobby, I went on the win my 3rd bodybuilding title as the Muscle Mania
World Champion in 2001. During that time period, I had the opportunity
to learn about television through work at American Sport Network, home of the
Musclemania, Fitness America Pageant, and American Muscle Magazine, all
internationally televised which coincidentally opened the doors for me as I
gained recognition as a competitor across the pond.
In
2001/02, I was contacted by ITS Training who spotted me in the media as they
were gearing up for the big changes in the UK education system. The
system was installing vocational courses into the high school curriculum to
include a range of different careers and industry specialism. The UK was
realising that the teachers needed support from industry professionals
that had the real life experience of operating in a commercial
environment. Schools started to involve government funded training
providers, traditionally utilised after high school, at a much younger age
than usual. ITS Training at that point had established a system called
ENROL(tm)- Electronic National Remote Online Learning which through technology
connected the teaching curriculum to the real world. ENROL(tm) won a major UK
award (Centre of Vocational Excellence) as a leader in their field. ITS during
a period of time realised that UK students were more sporting
opportunities, however sport in itself had a high demand with
a limited number of careers to progress. ITS's specialism was
international trade which the ENROL system was build on- it needed to open the
options available through a career gateway- something that could connect to a
wider range of careers. They started to look outside the box, could
bodybuilding be the answer?
U-Phorm www.u-phorm.com was shortly opened in California as an
international research project to develop qualifications related to
bodybuilding from a High School level upwards to personal training
and fitness industry management qualifications. Our research involved
close working relationships with several of the UK's old and
new bodybuilding organisations- thanks to support
from Nick www.fitwithnick.com, we had some incredible posters to
demonstrate how a modernising strategy could have an effect in reshaping the
image of the sport. The ability of these organisation to connect with the
general public, and where/why they were failing on the current system formed
an important part of our research.
Since 2003/04 U-Phorm has been
operating the highly successful Career Advancement Programme which brings
bodybuilding, media/television, sports, business, and general education into a
format that allows students to use bodybuilding as a medium to learn about the
world around them, and be better prepared for a prosperous future when leaving
school. The programme is available at various levels of ability, including
those who are switched off to the traditional approach. A short video can
found on the Stourbridge News Website through the following link:
http://www.stourbridgenews.co.uk/news/snvideonews/index.var.2950.0.0.php
Our
adult education programmes at Levels 2,3,4 and 5 are now available
internationally through the ENROL system in cooperation
with a selected partners. WABBA- The World Governing Body for
Weight Training Instructors www.wabba.co.uk are working closely with us and the UK's
largest examinations board, City & Guilds www.city-and-guilds.co.uk ,to establish an international
standard. U-Phorm alongside the examinations board has written
a formal unit of fitness progression called 'bodybuilding', the first of it's
kind allowing fitness professional to learn about preparing for a show in
real and factual terms. Metaphorm training (part of the
bodybuilding unit) is now available through a 3 PHASE system http://www.u-phorm.com/courses/what_is_metaphorm.htm,
allowing the user to learn about his/her body by including metaphysical
principles on a week by week learning approach.
U-Phorm, in a nutshell, is pathing the way for the
future of bodybuilding with credible alternatives for a sport where beginners
are left to "figure things out by themselves" or get the "wrong advice", often
from a well meaning friend at the gym.
-Chris Rad
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And
now- Fit with Nick ask Chris!
QUESTION- FWN
asks Chris - I come into contact with many beginning bodybuilders
who dont know the first thing about weight training. Can you give us
one or more of the most common mistakes made by beginners who may be
trying to ''figure things out by themselves'', or who are getting
''wrong advice''?
One
of the most common mistakes is certainly thinking that 'more is better', or by
virtue of simply working hard you will achieve similar results to the ones
that you see in the magazines. The truth is, success in bodybuilding
takes an understanding of many principles that all must be working in harmony
with each other for the desired effect. The ability to focus mental
energy, apply nutrition, and training consistently with the correct
technique is in direct proportion to the results achieved. If any part
of this process is missing, the results will be
disappointing...
For
simplicities sake, lets break it down:
The
effect of focusing mental energy means time management, preparing meals on
time, saying yes and no to the all right foods the right times, and the
various practical steps involved. However the beginning is most important by
visualising your perfect body in your mind first. Without this initial
thought, it is impossible to achieve anything other than what you currently
have. In other words, what is physical in the mind, becomes physical
without. This often involves connecting yourself with personal
motivators like Nick or education and training professionals like U-Phorm to
get the desired effect, but this is always and effect, not a cause. Beginning
bodybuilders often try to change the effect by focusing on the effect, and
this will never have the desired impact.
Beginning bodybuilders rely heavily on a magic
combination of the right supplements to give them the edge...
without a foundation to build on. Current standards look at the
hormones involved in the process and which hormones are triggered by
proteins, carbohydrates, and fats. As a 17 year old, I was sponsored by a
local supplement company and took all the leading products popular at the time
e.g. creatine, pro-hormones, you name it, I tried it. My nutrition was good,
but lacked an understanding of the carbohydrate balance requirements for
optimal fat burning/muscle growth. I won the NPS Iron Man Naturally,
a California regional title, but my condition left something to
be desired. My World Championship victory the following year focused
on nutrition alone (besides a vitamin/mineral basic) I used very little
supplementation and a chieved the best condition of my life at that
point. The key to the supplementation that I did use was understanding
why I was using it and for what purpose. This came through a research of the
ingredients rather than what it "said on the box" and this often involved
less sexy supplements like food enzymes and dandelion root for a specific
purpose, for a short amount of time. Whole natural foods in the right
combinations are all that are required for the beginning
bodybuilder.
The
biggest training mistake that I see beginning bodybuilders make is
paying little attention to the mechanics of the exercise. I see
allot of big egos at the gym trying to lift the most weight or doing 100
sit-ups with no attention to form, just to hit a specific magic number.
The number of sets/reps and weight used actually has little impact on
the result and this should be a secondary consideration, if at all.
Effective exercise technique requires an understanding of biomechanics to
distribute the actual weight lifted to the appropriate muscle. Consider the
bench press for example, which often ends up building the deltoids and
triceps with only a portion of the weight lifted actually engaging the
pectorals. Proper biomechanics with the bench press requires much less weight
that is often used. Beginners try to build the chest and arms as priority
without real ising that by not paying equal attention to the supporting
muscles in the back, shoulders, and even legs- the chest and arms will see
little development, regardless of the quantity and intensity of bench presses
and bicep curls.
Until next month...
Chris Rademacher
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