Athletes and Celebrities Archives - Muscle & Fitness

Israel Adesanya on Jon Jones: “Even If He Moves Up to Heavyweight, I’ll Chase Him”

Rose McNulty — Fri, 06 Mar 2020 20:18:00 +0000

We caught up with Israel Adesanya, the current champ to discuss his recent fame and his future plans in the UFC, which, according to him, include a fight with UFC great Jon Jones.

Zachary Levi’s Best Tips to Improve Your Mental Health

vkim — Thu, 13 Feb 2020 22:29:00 +0000

In addition to taking care of his body, “Shazam” actor Zachary Levi is also a huge proponent of mental health. Levi dishes on how to clear up your mental space on a day to day basis.

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Disclaimer: taking @flowsupps does NOT make you stronger. YOU make YOU stronger. We just wanna help you in that journey, providing you the very best of ingredients, taste, and cost, all in one place. ? Thru my fitness journey I was at a loss when it came to what I needed for supplement nutrition. If it tasted good, it wasn’t the best for me, and if it was good for me, it probably tasted like chalky shite. If you’ve given @flowsupps a try, you know that we’ve solved that conundrum. If you haven’t given us a try, I encourage you to do so. ? Also, we’re now available in (to be read in the stylings of @oprah) Australiaaaaaaa!!! So go get it, mates! Aussie, Aussie, Aussie! Oi, Oi, Oi!!! ?

A post shared by Zachary Levi (@zacharylevi) on Jul 29, 2019 at 6:39pm PDT

Former NFL Star Greg Jennings Plays Football With M&F Staff

vkim — Thu, 06 Feb 2020 17:54:00 +0000

Retired NFL player Greg Jennings turned back the clock and played a little football with the Muscle & Fitness staff. Also while on the Reps podcast he talks about staying fit over 30, playing with Brett Farve, and being a Super Bowl champ.

Why Greg Jennings Never Does a Flat Bench Press as a Bodybuilder

vkim — Wed, 05 Feb 2020 20:22:00 +0000

Super Bowl champ Greg Jennings has gone from football star to bodybuilder. He talks about the intricacies of the training and meal prep required to excel in bodybuilding.

Simeon Panda’s Big Chest Workout Explained

vkim — Tue, 04 Feb 2020 20:02:00 +0000

Building a bigger chest doesn’t have to be complicated with the help of bodybuilding icon Simeon Panda. Use his quick workout to build a strong and massive upper body.

How NFL Star-Turned-Bodybuilder Greg Jennings Eats 4,000 Calories Per Day

vkim — Tue, 04 Feb 2020 19:46:00 +0000

Since Super Bowl champ Greg Jennings has begun to pursue a career in bodybuilding he’s learned that he needs to eat way more calories, change his training style, and find the right trainer. Greg Jennings’ had a 10-year NFL that included two Pro Bowl appearances, and o Super Bowl ring.

Why You Should Try Group Fitness, According to a Personal Trainer

vkim — Fri, 31 Jan 2020 20:02:00 +0000

Group fitness has been criticized for not teaching proper form but praised for creating a fun gym environment. Celebrity trainer Erin Oprea gives her take on the advantages and disadvantages of the popular training style.

Counting Calories Is Overrated, According to Carrie Underwood’s Trainer

vkim — Fri, 31 Jan 2020 19:58:00 +0000

Although Erin Oprea is a celebrity trainer, she teaches a simple, yet effective path to a healthier lifestyle. On this episode, she discusses how to begin a workout program, the benefits of group training, and being a Marine vet.

How Erin Oprea Went From Marine Vet to Celebrity Trainer

Rose McNulty — Tue, 28 Jan 2020 17:53:00 +0000

Celebrity trainer Erin Oprea discusses her two tours in the Marines, and how she transitioned from war back into civilian life. She also discussed the pros and cons of group fitness, training while pregnant, and more on the full episode of the Reps podcast.

Watch the full episode on Youtube, or stream it on all major digital platforms on Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2020, at 12 PM.

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How Mehcad Brooks’ Near-death Experience Transformed His Life

vkim — Fri, 24 Jan 2020 20:43:00 +0000

Mehcad Brooks, star of the new Netflix film A Fall From Grace, explains how an undiagnosed parasite almost led to his death prior to the age of 30.

Watch the full episode on Youtube, or stream it on all major digital platforms on Friday at 12 PM.

How ‘A Fall From Grace’ Actor Mehcad Brooks Improved Under Tyler Perry

vkim — Fri, 24 Jan 2020 20:26:00 +0000

Mehcad Brooks, star of the new Netflix film A Fall From Grace, breaks down the dynamics of working with Tyler Perry, and what drew him to the role of Shannon.

Watch the full episode on Youtube, or stream it on all major digital platforms on Friday at 12 PM.

Why Mehcad Brooks Turned Down 26 Basketball Scholarships

vkim — Fri, 24 Jan 2020 19:53:00 +0000

Starting when he was 28, Mehcad Brooks went through a harrowing couple of years—a parasite picked up in Africa caused him to flatline from the medication used to treat it, and the near-death experience led him to travel to India looking for answers. Back in the U.S., an accident left him in a coma for three days, essentially giving him a second brush with death. The combination of those three journeys led him to try the hallucinogenic Ayahuasca to gain more perspective.

When did you do Ayahuasca, and why did you choose to go that route?
It was May 20th, 2012, and that date is significant because it was the same date as when I died and then was resuscitated in 2009, and exactly one year after my coma. So, I see May 20th as kind of my spiritual birthday. I saw Ayahuasca as another step toward spiritual expansion.

What was the experience like? I’ve heard you vomit.
You do, it’s called purging. Think of it this way: The human body is basically two-thirds water. And water conducts electricity, stores it, and your emotions are electronic impulses so that gets stored in you. Trauma from every age can get stuck in there. It’s all there. And then when the Ayahuasca hits it, that shit gets pulled out and you’re literally throwing up stuff from when you were a kid.

How do you think all of these May 20th experiences have changed you?
Now that I’ve had some time and perspective away from them, I’ve been able to thank the universe for them. As soon as you can thank the universe for whatever happened to you, it’s no longer happening to you. Now there’s a lesson coming your way. Nothing in your life happens to you, it happens for you. Had these things not happened, I’d have been a piece of shit, a real asshole.

Top Coach Justin Miller’s Secrets to Bodybuilding Success

Rose McNulty — Wed, 15 Jan 2020 21:16:00 +0000

Bodybuilding, the art of transforming one’s body into a statuesque work of art that would make a Greek God blush, isn’t recognized as a team sport. But make no mistake—nobody becomes an IFBB champion without some sort of support staff behind him. The best often employ teams of trainers, nutritionists, and other aides who make it their jobs to ensure their client is at an optimal training at all times.

Enter trainer Justin Miller, who knows his athletes’ bodies’ probably better then even the bodybuilders themselves, including his most famous client, 2019 Arnold Classic Physique winner George Peterson. Miller says it’s never cut and dry, cookie cutter process with each athlete.

“The more I learn, the more I realize that I don’t really know that much,” Miller said recently on M&F Reps. “What I’ve learned in this sport is there is no absolutes. Everyone’s different.”

Perhaps the greatest secret to bodybuilding is that nobody begins their journey as a champion. In fact, bodybuilding at the top level isn’t particularly a young man’s game: “It’s a cumulative sport. So the longer you lift weights the more muscular you get,” Miller says. “They call it old-man strength.”

The more time you spend at the gym, the easier it is to spend more and more time at the gym. Of course, everybody’s always looking for shortcuts, and in bodybuilding, that comes in the form of performance-enhancing drugs, something Miller believes more and more young athletes are using in an effort to speed up their gains, no matter the cost.

“I feel like a lot of the kids today are too quick to rush into performance-enhancing drugs then they are to push themselves in the gym,” Miller explains. “It’s like, ‘Well kid, you don’t eat six meals a day. You don’t train consistently, you’re not maximizing everything else and you haven’t done that over a number of years. So what the hell do you know?’” In bodybuilding, discipline, time, and patience are equally as important factors for success.

“People underestimate what they can do naturally. I think you can be a great bodybuilder naturally.”

Steroids are testosterone enhancers are a main and controversial part of the culture, but Miller says they’re not as ubiquitous as many would believe. His argument: Miller says the results of steroids simply aren’t worth the effort in many cases: “People think that natural bodybuilding is so hard because you have to really focus on the diet. It’s actually easier, you know? And what do steroids do? They hold fluids.”

Every bodybuilder knows the No. 1 rule of the sport is to avoid water retention, Miller explains. “I went to a natural bodybuilding show recently,” he says. “The guys were all ripped. They all looked great. There were smaller, but the top five there, I can make the argument that they were more ripped than the top five at the open Mr. Olympia. “

How Russell Wilson Stays at Peak Performance for the NFL Season

vkim — Mon, 13 Jan 2020 17:08:00 +0000

Seattle Seahawks (www.seahawks.com/) quarterback Russell Wilson wants to remain in the league for the long haul. The NFL MVP candidate made public his desire to spend 25 seasons on the field, but he’s going to need some help to make that dream a reality.

Wilson’s ambitious long-term goal is the reason why he hired personal trainer Decker Davis to keep him in game-ready shape for the foreseeable future. Davis has been training Wilson (and his wife, pop star Ciara) since 2017, and Davis goes everywhere with the sports superstar, even on family vacations.

As a pro athlete, Wilson is expected to be healthier than the average person, but playing till he’s nearly 50 years old would necessitate round-the-clock attention—as well as a lot of cooperation with Father Time—Davis is always there to give Wilson what he needs: “I go wherever Russ goes. I go to all the away games,” Davis said on a recent Reps podcast. “I go with him, we do some some type of work while we’re wherever we’re at.”

Davis works closely with the Seahawks’ doctors and trainers to make sure nobody’s stepping on anyone else’s toes, and the experience has been positive for everyone involved, so far: “I know the Seahawks trainers and strength coaches pretty well. So we’ve got a good connection.”

Football’s physical tolls on the bodies of some of the sports world’s toughest athletes are well documented. And as exciting and game-changing a quarterback sack can be for fans, for the athlete, it’s hard to see anyone being able to sustain those hits for 10 seasons, let alone two decades.

Wilson, who was third in the NFL in 2019 with 31 touchdown passes, wants to set a longevity record with his goal of a quarter century on the field. It’ll require take a lot of physical discipline and preparation (and a little luck) to hit that milestone, but the 31-year-old athlete has a chance at that ultimate glory, and he’s got a whole team of physical therapists, massage therapists and chefs lending a hand.

“We all work hand in hand,” Decker says. If he’s banged up, we kind of go through the whole healing process in order to get him back to 100%.”

While it’s impossible to know what the future holds, so far, it’s hard to argue with Davis’ impressive results: “He hasn’t missed a game. So it’s working.”

[RELATED2]

Etila Santiago’s Full-body Fat-Loss Workout Explained

vkim — Tue, 07 Jan 2020 18:28:00 +0000

Develop a lean and ripped figure with a full-body workout directly from IFBB Pro League Bikini athlete Etila Santiago. This routine utilizes dumbbells, kettlebells, and more to help you blast fat and shed pounds.

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A post shared by Étila Santiago ???? (@etila)

From Soldier to Spartan Racer: This Army Vet Isn’t Defined by His Injury

vkim — Fri, 03 Jan 2020 21:09:00 +0000

The competitive atmosphere and extreme nature of Spartan races attracts a wide range of personalities, one of them being National Guard Staff Sgt. Earl Granville.

He may have lost one leg in Afghanistan, but through Spartan Races and Operation Enduring Warriors (www.enduringwarrior.org/about)—an organization that supports, honors and empowers wounded and disabled veterans— Granville continues to live an active lifestyle.

Build Strength and Better Muscles with Kyron Holden’s Chest Workout

Rose McNulty — Fri, 03 Jan 2020 21:04:00 +0000

Grow your muscles and get stronger with a simple, yet effective chest workout from 2019’s New York Pro Physique winner, Kyron Holden.

The First Female Head Athletic Trainer in American Pro Sports, Sue Falsone, is Breaking All Expectations

vkim — Mon, 30 Dec 2019 20:24:00 +0000

Sue Falsone made Major League Baseball history in 2007 when she became the first female team physical therapist while working with the Los Angeles Dodgers. In 2012, she went on to replace Stan Conte as the team’s head athletic trainer for two seasons, the first woman to do so in major American sports.

While there was some pushback from some belligerent “fans” across the more frustrated corners of Reddit and Twitter, Falsone was beloved by the team during her tenure with the Dodgers.

Falsone discussed her approach to the health of her athletes, as well as some popular misconceptions about health and fitness. The former Los Angeles Dodgers trainer also talked about the pros and cons of breaking glass ceilings, changes in recovery methods, and how sleep is currently viewed in the fitness industry.

“[Clients] don’t care what gender you are, what color you are, what color your hair is, what color your eyes are,” she says. “When people are injured or they’re in pain, they’re seeking understanding and they’re seeking help. If you can help them and offer some type of solution to help improve their quality of life, that’s all they care about. The athletes were fantastic. They were really great, really respectful.”

Falsone’s results speak for themselves, and she’s currently working with Structure and Function, a rehab and performance educational company, and recently published a book, “Bridging the Gap From Rehab to Performance.”

As far as her own health, Falsone is a vegetarian. Contrary to popular belief, a plant-based diet isn’t a magical cure; it just seems that way for people who switch from a severely unhealthy diet: “People have all of these misconceptions about what the buzz word for nutrition is for the day. I think it’s just different stuff for every body. I don’t think there’s one right way to eat.”

Today, Falsone is also getting a lot of mileage from applying intermittent fasting to her vegetarian diet, as well as lessening her dependence on caffeine and sleeping pills, an unfortunate symptom of life on the road with a major league baseball team:

“I got into the same issues that the athletes get into,” she admits. “I was eating Ambien every night, drinking alcohol every night. Waking up, downing Red Bull, downing caffeine, coffee, to kind of get up all day. You get into this cycle, and I got to that point where I was not going to bed if I didn’t have 10mg of Ambien.”

Life on the road is tough, but it was a job in which she performed admirably, and Falsone’s name will forever be part of sports history for helping advance the role of women in baseball.

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Great time at the #aaspt2019 TCC in Vegas this weekend! Thanks so much to @meyerptaligned for hosting me in their booth for both #BTG demos and @structureandfunction dry needling demos!! #dryneedling #sportsphysicaltherapy #sportspt #physicaltherapy #structureandfunction

A post shared by suefalsone (@suefalsone) on Dec 8, 2019 at 8:49am PST

Candice Lewis-Carter’s Arnold Classic Delt Workout Explained

vkim — Mon, 30 Dec 2019 20:11:00 +0000

If anyone knows how to build gorgeous shoulders, it’s former Arnold Classic Figure champ Candice Lewis-Carter. This five-move routine will get your delts show-ready in no time.

Certified Nutritionalist and Surfer Robert Yang, Breaks Down Whats Being Broken Down In Your Gut

vkim — Mon, 23 Dec 2019 16:34:00 +0000

Certified nutritionist and certified strength and conditioning specialist Robert Yang explains how to keep your digestive system healthy, and how your diet may be hurting your gut.

MMA Legend Randy Couture Admits to Running Over Jet Li on Set of ‘Cradle 2 The Grave’

vkim — Wed, 18 Dec 2019 19:23:00 +0000

MMA legend and Professional Fighters League commentator Randy Couture talks about working out through a heart attack, his fight career, and playing alongside a host action-movie icons.

Can You Survive “The Expendables” Workout?

vkim — Tue, 17 Dec 2019 19:10:00 +0000

See if you’re tough to get through the workouts that helped the stars of The Expendables get big-screen ready.

“I Would Love to Slay a Few Companies,” Jason Poston Says

vkim — Mon, 16 Dec 2019 18:24:00 +0000

IFBB Pro League athlete Jason Poston talks about the positive and not-so-positive experiences he’s had with sponsors during his career.

WWE Hall of Famer Torrie Wilson Discusses How Her Workouts Have Evolved

vkim — Wed, 11 Dec 2019 20:45:00 +0000

The WWE Hall of Famer discusses how her training has evolved from her teenage days through her wrestling career and today.

Jordan Shallow Is Looking Past the Conventional to Change the Future of Fitness

vkim — Mon, 09 Dec 2019 18:23:00 +0000

Powerlifter Jordan Shallow isn’t your typical personal trainer; He’s a fitness educator on a mission to update the antiquated information that has been passed around for decades.