Steak and Sizzle: Corrective Conditioning ... and a 6 pack for my girls!

Early on in my training as a figure athlete, I met with a coach in NYC, we discussed my training strategies and sealed the deal. When I arrived for my first workout with him, LEGS, I fully expected to be put directly under the Olympic squat bar and watch him load the plates until my muscles failed. 

Much to my surprise (and initially to my chagrin), he put a band around my thigh just above the knee and made me do some seemingly endless number of clams... CLAMS.. yes, like Jane Fonda. Wait, what? Excuse me, I am looking for round quadriceps, a lifted glute and hamstrings which stand on their own, why are we doing CLAMS... "corrective conditioning"... was his answer.

Apparently, I dropped my right foot when I walked, due to muscular imbalances between my right and left hip, and it was throwing off my gait to the point I had one over developed leg, and one under. So, without the corrective conditioning, my thigh gap would be completely off balance in my posing suit. And if you've seen those posing suits you can't hide... anything.

I spent hours low lunging, clamming, reverse flying with little to no weight, twisting my waist and pulling cables for my rear delt... so many hours. 

 It felt like forever before I even did so much as an overhead press or weighted squat, I mean (eye roll emoji), and as my school girls say " when do we get the six pack?"

Tricky! This is what a former manager of mine, also in NYC, called "Steak and Sizzle"... 

It is implicit in the conditioning. As we are properly training a muscle group for full functionality we are also developing the muscles to their maximum potential (favorite word).  By doing this, we are then able to bring them to their full development... voila! 6 pack/thigh gap!

Here are some guidelines to help:

1. Have a pro evaluate your movements. We can make recommendations for exercises you can do to improve conditioning of various muscle groups. It is the first thing I look for when I begin working with people one on one or in a group. 

2. STRETCH, I know, it takes time, and I don't like it that much either, but we have to take the time to stretch muscles so they have the capacity to work through their full range of motion.

3. Using different modalities to help train muscle groups is a great way to "cross" strengthen imbalances. Again, it's a good idea to work with the pros for a bit on this one, until you are familiar with different exercises and different modes of training.

Ok, now let's talk weight loss itself; Muscle movement requires energy, a calorie is a measure of energy or heat in your body, the more developed, and injury free a muscle is, the more heat it will require, yep, it's as straight forward as that!

Finally, corrective conditioning will make sure your muscles stay developed and functional for a long long time!

Warriors need fully functional, flexible, and beautifully formed muscles. I promise you will not be sorry you took the extra time.

As always sending you love, strength, and so much gratitude,

Anna