Personal Trainer Northampton Blog

The hype, excitement and fierce training for Mr Olympia is over for another year.  Now will be a time for reflection for all the competitors.  Dexter Jackson was reported to have said he would retire after this years competition but will he change his mind after winning the title?  What will the future hold for Jay Cutler?  It would not be the first time he has come from placing second to then go on and win the competition.  Younger competitors like Dennis Wolf will reflect on what they need to make the jump from top 5 to 1st place.

We will all have periods of reflection in our training and in our lives as a whole.  We can feel something is missing or that we need to find that little bit extra.  Times are tough at the moment, for everyone, but keep being strong and following your goals.

Best Regards.

Well this years Mr Olympia competition is over and Jay Cutler’s crown has been taken by Dexter “The Blade” Jackson. Dexter, from Jacksonville Florida, won his first Mr Olympia title, after finishing in the top 5 in three previous years.  Dennis Wolf, tipped by some to win the competition, finished in 4th place.  The final placings were:

1. Dexter Jackson

2. Jay Cutler

3. Phil Heath

4. Dennis Wolf

5. Toney Freeman

6. Melvin Anthony

Saturday 27th September sees the conclusion of the events taking place this year.  One of these is the 202lb showdown.  This is open for 15 competitors of 202lb weight and qualification is by finishing in the top 5 at one of the three 202lb events held earlier in 2008.  The 15 competitors are:

Ray Arde, Jason Arntz, Curtis Bryant, Eric Castagnet, Charles Dixon, Kevin English, George Farah, David Henry
Jaroslav Horvath, Richard Jackson, James Lewis, Jeffrey Long, Roc Shabazz, Nathan Wosle.

Also taking place on the 27th is a 90 minute power show.  This features the best weightlifters on the planet.  Titles available to win include the Olympia Bench Press Challenge Champion.  How many world records will be broken this year?

Jay Cutler

DATE OF BIRTH: August 3rd 1973

HEIGHT: 5ft 9

BIRTH PLACE: Sterling, Massachusetts

COMPETING WEIGHT: 274lb

OFF-SEASON WEIGHT: 310lb

TITLES WON: 1993: NPC Iron Bodies Invitational

NPC Teen Nationals (Heavyweight)

1995: NPC US Tournament of Champions

1996: NPC Nationals

2000: Night of Champions

2002: Arnold Classic

2003: Arnold Classic

2003: Ironman Pro Invitational

2003: Dutch Grand Prix

2003: British Grand Prix

2004: Arnold Classic

2006: Mr Olympia

2006: Austrian Grand Prix

2006: Romanian Grand Prix

2006: Dutch Grand Prix

2007: Mr Olympia

2009: Mr Olympia

These are the amazing stats behind the current Mr Olympia, Jay Cutler.  The list above notes only his competitive first place finishes.  In addition to this, he has had an amazing 15 placings in major events., the majority of which have been top in the top five.  Jay Cutler began bodybuilding at 18 years of age.  As visible from his ‘From Jay to Z’ DVD, no matter where he worked Jay always made time to eat every two hours or so, enabling him to gain mass to accompany his training.  His dedication cannot be questioned, training at 2am some days.  To have such a mindset and even more, to follow that mindset through in actions is what makes him the best in the business.  Another character trait to be admired is his perseverance.  Cutler placed second 5 times at Mr Olympia competitions and still came back to win the legendary 2006 competition and retain his title in 2007.  Jay lives in Las Vegas now with his wife Kerry and his three dogs.

I had to update this profile after the weekend that has just gone as Jay has added a prestigious third Mr Olympia crown to his repetoire. Jay joins an elite group who have won three times or more, in such company know as legends Ronnie Coleman, Dorian Yates and of course Arnold Schwarzenegger.

We are now just over one week away form the Mr Olympia Weekend! A lot of talk is circulating about Dennis Wolf, who already achieved a feat of 5th position in last years competition.  Many are talking of it being a two horse race between him and Jay Cutler, but there are also many opinions that it won’t be Wolf’s time until next year.  Over the next day or two I will post details on both competitors, plus the other competition. Who do you think will win this years title?

I wanted to write a post today to remember the victims of the atrocities in New York seven years ago.  New York is a city I adore, I have always felt a fascination, awe and wonder at this amazing place and seeing those events unfold brings indescribable feelings.  I cannot imagine the feelings of those in the towers, on the plane, all of their relatives and those brave, brave Fireman.  The courage showed by them was superhuman, as it was for many other people involved in rescuing and leading people to safety.  Some of the stories that have emerged since that day of just normal people doing extraordinary things to help others is incredible.

New York’s resiliance and unity can never be beaten and to anyone from New York reading this today, I offer my thoughts and sympathies on this emotional day.

To obtain Hypertrophy (muscle growth,) you need to push your muscles to new limits, limits they are not used to or comfortable with.  There are ways to do this by varying the sets that you perform.  Try doing a ‘quick set’ in one of your workouts.  This is where you do the same exercise but faster.  Please ensure you do not sacrifice your technique for the speed.  A quicker set can stimulate some muscle fibres that otherwise wouldn’t be and this can help growth.  Another option to mix up your routines can be negative reps.  You need a training partner for this one.  A good example of this can be the bench press.  Say after your three sets your arms are too tired to push up any more weight but you could, in a controlled fashion, still complete the return movement, then try a negative rep.  Have your partner lift the bar up and you then prevent it from falling back toward your chest in a controlled slow movement.  Repeat this until you can no longer support the bar on the return.  Do not try this type of exercise alone as you are testing and pushing your muscles when they are at their most fatigued.

These are but a couple of ways you can add some variation to your routines and keep your muscles ‘guessing.’  It is important to add variation every so often as your body and muscles can become accustomed to exercise plans that never alter.  Accustomed muscles won’t get bigger!

Happy training everyone.

These are a weight lifting accessory I hadn’t come across until around a year or so ago.  Straps can be used mainly for lifting exercises, particularly a heavy weight, if you have a poor grip or your grip weakens at a heavy weight.  They are extremely useful for exercises like upright rows, bent over rows and deadlift.   Your grip is noticeably increased and they allow you to lift amounts your own grip may not have previously permitted.  They are well worth adding to your collection in my opinion.

The Mr Olympia 2008 competition will take place between September 25-28, just 3 weeks away!  It is an exciting time for anyone with an interest in bodybuilding or weight lifting.  Can Jay Cutler make it three in a row? There have been some exciting contests but in recent years my favourite must have been 2006.  It was the year Jay won his first title and it denied Ronnie Coleman his 9th straight Mr Olympia Crown.  The atmosphere on stage as Jay’s name was announced was incredible.

The competition has been dominated by Americans in recent years, a testament to the individuals mindsets, the incredible facilities available  in the USA and the determination of these incredible athletes.

Lets hope this year provides us with as much excitement.

This is something I’m sure everyone has had at one point or another, can be very uncomfortable and painful.  But what is it?

It can happen to anyone, form experienced trainers to beginners.  DOMS occurs due to tears in muscle fibre or connective tissue.  These tears are not major but microscopic ones.  The tears provoke your body into an inflammatory response after cellular degradation.  It is this inflammatory response that causes the pain we experience.  This pain usually is noticeable 24-48 hours after exercise. 

DOMS can happen after a period of not exercising or from a strenuous session.  It is important, especially if you are just starting out, to ensure the pain doesn’t continue for more than a few days as prolonged pain may be more serious damage than just DOMS.

To avoid DOMS as a beginner, use a plan that gradually eases you in and increases intensity accordingly.  This way, muscles can adapt better to the demands you are placing on them as unaccustomed muscles are more seceptible to DOMS.  If you have taken a break from training and are returning, again ease yourself in slowly.