A few of my favorite weightlifting clips from the last two years. All video work done by Iron Maven using Dartfish. The music is “Money Day Be” by The Headroom Project.

Tonight, I made a shrimp skillet. I got the recipe from the book “Paleo Comfort Foods”It’s a good light and fresh meal. I would recommend using less tomatoes and more peppers. I would also recommend putting the tomatoes in a few minutes before serving so they don’t get mushy.

Ingredients
2 lbs medium deveined peeled shrimp
Zest and juice of one lemon
2 tbs fresh oregano
5 cloves garlic
3 tbs olive oil + 1 addtl tbs
1 red bell pepper cut into strips
4 tomatoes seeded and chopped
Splash of white wine

1) Combine shrimp in large bowl with lemon zest and juice, oregano, garlic, and olive oil
2) Marinate for 15 minutes
3) Heat large skillet over medium heat. Add remaining oil, onion, and peppers. Cook until onions are translucent
4) Increase heat to medium high and add shrimp mixture. Stir until shrimp are pink. Add tomatoes and wine.
5) Cook enough to heat tomatoes.

 -Ashley

P.S. You can also click the following link below if you want to order ”Paleo Comfort Foods”

What are your obstacles and the enemies that you have to overcome to be a Champion – in life and in yourself?

Be a Champion.

I Am a Champion – The Greatest Speech Ever

BTW: Check out our New “iChampion” T-Shirts Here

Tonight I cooked paleo coconut chicken which I would highly recommend. The coconut added a sweet taste and different texture to the chicken. Some good things about this dish in addition to the taste is it only took about 20 minutes to make including prep time and I only have 2 bowls and a pan to clean now that I’m done. I would recommend using a meat tenderizer to help with the texture and cut back on cooking time as well as cooking at a low temperature to keep the coconut from burning. For those just starting their paleo pantry, coconut oil can typically be found in the organic section and is stored in a jar. I will definitely make this one again.

-Ashley L. 

I’m 37 years old, a triple Gator Girl from UF and I moved here over a decade ago from Pasagoula, Mississippi. I work at the Moffitt Cancer Center as an attorney with the FDA in research.

How did you hear about us?

I won a Gift Certificate at the 108 Sun Salutations Yoga Event at the Tampa Museum of Art last year.

Why did you decide try our Boot Camp at Xtreme Athletix?

I wanted to try something new, I like a challenge, see what it offered and to see if it worked.

What sports do you play or activities yoga re involved in?

Flag football co-ed league, Biking, golf, yoga, I like to have a lot of variety in my workouts and activities.

What are your goals?

My goals are to improve my general fitness. I want to be in good shape for the things that I want to do, weather it be biking, vacations or climbing a mountain. I think that you want to be fit for that type of thing. I like to Ski, and I am about to commit to the dark side and became a snow border, but you have to be in shape to take on something like that, otherwise you are not going to have as good of a time and enjoy it like you should. I like to try everything but I don’t see myself as having much skill in any one thing.

I’m also wanting to gain some muscle mass because I like the way it looks on  woman , having little muscular shoulders. Because we live in Florida, we rarely wear sleeves, so I think it is important to work the parts with the most exposure, especially when it comes to wearing strapless dresses.

How were your first 30 days?

I found that I was getting a really good full body and athletic workout. I felt it was difficult and more rewarding than going to a regular gym and going through the motions. I’ve stuck with it since then. I come in 2 times a week now, because I feel like I’m getting results. I feel like I’m still getting stronger, love the environment and working out in a group is comfortable.

It is not like the regular boot camps I have been to in Tampa where it is mostly women jumping up and down, doing just the same drills. I feel like in those boot camps, we did the same thing every time. This boot camp is completely different than anything I heard anyone talk about, especially the fact that we actually weight train in the first part of class, which is one of the most distinguishing parts of this boot camp. I tell everyone about it, especially the men, since they are most interested in that, because most of them have never had any type of training in weightlifting aside from the other guys in the gym. I like that.

I also like the co-ed aspect. I’m a long time ex-body pumper but when you workout in a program that has men in the group, it gives it more credibility. It is not just a group fitness class like the canned, “Les Mills” style programs that I have been in for so long at the big box gyms.

Here the men support the girls, it’s better that way in a group like this, the men do not compete against the girls and it isn’t a meat market. It is very comfortable.

Are you from Tampa?

I was born in South Carolina, my father was in the military so we lived in Virginia, Germany, back to Virginia and then Florida. We moved to Tampa when I was 10.

What made you think that you wanted to try our Boot Camp?

I’ve seen other boot camp programs in Tampa advertised elsewhere and it seemed like everybody was getting pretty good results, it wasn’t the classic gym, it was outdoors, wasn’t your typical treadmill or workout equipment, not the normal reps or workout programs and seemed like a good and different pattern of exercises and activities that you can do to get in shape.

What sports have you been involved with?

Nothing too consistently, but I’ve rowed crew in college for a little bit.

What makes you sticking with our Boot Camp?

It’s always something different at Xtreme Athletix Boot Camp. I’m seeing results and haven’t gotten injured since I’ve been doing this. I was running for a little bit and feelt a lot of pain, so stopped doing it and had to go to therapy for a period of time. Since I started boot camp, I seem to be learning to do things the right way from their coaches and personal trainers and I am really seeing results!

What are your goals?

Every time I come to boot camp, I try something new and do something more than I think I would have when I walk in though the door.

I also want to get ready for my wedding next summer because that is the day you want to look your best, more than any other day so I want to do something that is consistent. I don’t want to do any kind of crash course, no crash diet, because I want to have a nice look to where it’s not just for that short period of time, it’s something that you learn and build over time. I wish I could make it a few more days a week, but I feel like I am on track.

Have you tried any of our other programs here at Xtreme Athletix Strength & Conditioning?

I also attended the running training & coaching workshop. It was good to learn about it. I have never realized that there was even a style of running or a technique to running so, it was nice to find out that there was even was one. I was able to pick up on tips on what I may have been doing wrong and what I may have been doing to cause my injuries to begin with. I also found out how to get better with the smaller amounts of running that I do now.

Any parting words?

Xtreme Athletix Strength & Conditioning Boot Camp and Personal Training is a good place to go to feel a sense of self accomplishment, to do things that you would absolutely never soon your own in the gym , even though it is a group setting, it is like having personal trainer on a weekly basis. In my option you wouldn’t get that in a regular gym.

Below is a link to a fantastic article on how research is not always the “holy grail” that some hold it up to be; “researchers admit among themselves that biased, erroneous, and even blatantly fraudulent studies easily slip through it. ”

Check it out, pretty interesting stuff highlighting the importance of knowing how to read and dissect research articles and news stories.

Lies, Damned Lies, and Medical Science

By DAVID H. FREEDMAN from the Atlantic Magazine

“Much of what medical researchers conclude in their studies is misleading, exaggerated, or flat-out wrong. So why are doctors—to a striking extent—still drawing upon misinformation in their everyday practice? Dr. John Ioannidis has spent his career challenging his peers by exposing their bad science.” Click here to continue reading…  

Funny and Awesome video of Dr. Ben Goldacre from TED Talks:

“Every day there are news reports of new health advice, but how can you know if they’re right? Doctor and epidemiologist Ben Goldacre shows us, at high speed, the ways evidence can be distorted, from the blindingly obvious nutrition claims to the very subtle tricks of the pharmaceutical industry.”

Corporate vs Independent Research and GMO’s

To us, Fitness is not a luxury nor a commodity. If you are looking to hop and drop the latest fitness fads or think the road to fitness is just your ability to sweat, there are many places for just that. But if you want more, you may have just found your home with us. Fitness is not easy for anyone. I wish it were. The reality is it takes dedication, patience, knowledge, self awareness, intelligent coaching and finally a ton of hard work.

We are a community who understand this. We look to inspire and support others with our bodies, actions and dedication to our personal goals, as others have done for us. Our goal is to increase our strength, both internally and externally and our capacity to meet the fun and not so fun times of life – head on. Looking good in and out of our clothes is simply a byproduct who we are. Phrases like “I’ll do it later”, “I can’t” and It’s too hard” are not part of our vernacular.  Comfort and routine bores us, variety and a good challenge makes us ecstatic. Our training is proven and designed to improve every body, but is not for every one. We know that the basics just work.  We utilize constantly varied modalities so we are never get bored. We push, pull, squat, drag and lift – ourselves and heavy things. We swing kettlebells, throw objects, run fast, jump high and love the feeling of being weightless.

Xtreme doesn’t mean stupid or careless, it doesn’t mean beating ourselves into chronic fatigue or injury, to us, it means striving to active more than what you thought possible by using intelligent, properly applied intensity, training protocols and the latest in nutrition and exercise science, to reach higher than the norm, to live exceptionally and thrive.  ALL of our group classes and private sessions are scaled to your individual fitness level and designed to provide you with a challenging and fun experience, safely and effectively, maximizing your personal fitness potential.

We are a private training and fitness coaching facility where beauty, strength, form, function and performance is synonymous and what is earned is valued over the brand of your clothes or what you drive.   We offer group strength and conditioning boot camp classes, personal training fitness sessions and workshops for weight loss, increased athletic sports performance, and strength & conditioning.

Our primary focus is to increase your fitness and performance to their highest levels. We believe that fitness training is about achieving  these key objectives: looking, feeling and performing BETTER, consistently. You will make continuous improvement by doing the following:

Our training always advances in all of these.  This will enable you to reach fitness levels that you never thought possible.  We will help you reach deep and uncover your true potential.

If you have read this and felt in your gut, “Yes, finally!” then contact us and come meet your new family at Xtreme Athletix, Tampa Bay’s elite functional strength & conditioning personal fitness boot camp training program!!!

Since words can never really encapsulate what we do, the best way to find out more about us is to experience what we have to offer! Just click HERE and let us know what your goals are and we will contact you within 24 hours to have you come in for 2 weeks FREE!

Ask any of them what their training program consists of, you may hear some of the following,

“Well, I start the week with chest and bi’s, since that is what I want to focus on…”

“After I get off the treadmill which I do for 20 minutes in the “fat burning zone…”

“I like to do 15-20 sets per bodypart, especially for my…”

“I  like to do my reps slow, squeezing my muscles as hard as I can so I can get a great pump, after all it’s all about the pump…”

Most of what you will hear from them is a throwback to the bodybuilding programs that became popular in the 80′s and 90′s.

“You said bodybuilding? I don’t want to be a bodybuilder!”

Yup, my point exactly.

While any form of training will generally improve a person’s level of fitness, it may not improve the way that they would want, in order to be able to achieve their list of personal fitness goals.

There is a basic tenent, the S.A.I.D. principle, that states that the type of training you do determines what type of results in performance, health & aesthetic markers, you will receive.

While bodybuilding programs have done pretty well for most of those who visit our Super-Walmart like gyms, unbeknownst to them, they are usually experiencing some negative side effects in regards to their health and performance goals.

1. Bodybuilders tend to be on the “genetically gifted” side and may, “cough, cough” have the help of certain pharamaceudical and chemical agents that would keep any pharmacist in business and the officials of the IOC (International Olympic Committee) heads spin right off.

The tons of drugs they do helps decrease their recovery time to offset the high volume of training they perform. Because of this, those of us who are not being helped in this way tend to beat ourselves up with programs that will only have us overtrain, leaving us tired, drained and unmotivated.

2. Splitting up their programs into body parts or “bodypart training” is great to train a muscle that is weak, such as in rehab settings, but actually limits athletic performance by reducing the neuro-musclar firing or sequencing patterns and coordination required for sports and life. That is why there can be a robotic or muscle bound quality of movement and reduced agility that is demonstrated by some long time gym goers. This can also lead to muscle imbalances and increased injuries during quick, athletic movement patterns that most sports require. This also includes the lack of multi-directional movement cardio equipment provides.

3. To bodybuilders, muscle size is paramount and most of the dietary practices that they follow to get themselves into contest shape, which have seeped into to mainstream, are unhealthy, medically dangerous and can contribute to a negative and distorted self-image issues, including disordered eating patterns and full blown eating disorders.

More to come in Part 2…