Latest Journal Entry: Before & After - 6 Week Challenge!!!

By: Alex Liska
Hello! :)

Thanks for stopping by my site to check out my latest journal entry as I prep for the WBFF Worlds August 27th!!! :)
I decided it's time to post my dreaded before and after pic...
The "Before" Pic was taken the day before i started my diet about 6 weeks ago! The "After" Pic was taken this morning! The main reason i am posting this pic is because just about a week or two ago i was ready to give up and say F&CK IT!!! I was extremely bloated and i thought i looked like sh*t and wasn't seeing as much "RESULTS" as i wanted... The scale was barely shifting, my weight had barely gone down in a long time. 
Although my mom and people at the gym and so on and so forth were telling me they could see the changes in my physique, there were other people asking me "so how much time till your show? oh you still have a long time don't worry," which made me think.. "am i really that far from where i need to be that these people are telling me i'm lucky to have all this time to prep...?" 

Anyways, long story short, I decided to keep pushing forward and just break through the mental plateau i had reached. I not only need to keep a positive mindset for myself, but also for my clients and anyone that reads my blog, follows my workouts/diet. I need to lead by example, so giving up is NOT an option!!!! In this case i would have gave up RIGHT before seeing change.. because to my surprise when i woke up today i looked completely different than last Saturday morning... I decided to have faith and try on my posing suit from my last show (Ontario Naturals Sept. 11, 2010) and .... IT FIT !!!! :))) 
Motivation, Inspiration & Success comes when you least expect it!! This was especially true for me this week ! :)
"The Body Achieves What The Mind Believes"


I am currently working on putting together a 4 stage dieting manual for beginner-advanced trainees. It will focus on meal planning, meal prep, food selection, when to consume carbs/fats/proteins and how to incorporate supplements/vitamins/minerals into a nutrition plan etc...... Stay tuned for more updates from me as i dial in for my next show ;)

Chicken & Eggwhite Omelet with Mozzarella!!! **Healthy High Protein Recipe**

By: Alex Liska

 Ingredients:
-8 Egg-whites
-1 cup chopped spinach (i use other greens sometimes)
-4 oz. grilled chicken breast slices
-1 tsp garlic powder or crushed garlic
-1 tsp. butter (stick form, not margarine!!)
-paprika, black pepper and sea salt for taste!
-2 oz skimmed mozzarella cheese

Directions:
Combine the egg-whites, spinach, garlic and spices. Heat a medium sized frying pan/skillet and add tsp. of butter. Pour in the egg-whites/spinach mix and cover for 5minutes or so (medium heat). Top with chicken breast slices and sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top. Place in preheated 450-500degree oven (on broil) for 3-5 minutes until cheese is lightly browned! Cut into 2-4 servings and ENJOY!!! :)

This omelet is high in protein & very low carb/moderate fat!! This is definitely great food for fuel! It's quite filling as well!

Serves 2 (or it can serve ONE very hungry person! lol)

xo,

Alex L.

My Latest Shoulder Workout!!

By: Alex Liska

Hey guys!!! As promised, here is my latest shoulder workout! I've started using kettle bells in between sets to switch-up my training a bit, shock my muscles and keep my heart rate up! I'm doing squats with the kettle-bells, swinging them up and down (this REALLY kills the shoulders)
Another tip, try using the skipping rope for cardio... this will help sculpt and tone your shoulders! Boxers do a lot of skipping and there is no denying that they all have killer shoulders! :D





Warm-up: 500-1000 skips (skipping rope) followed by 3-5 sets 8-12 reps of each of the following:

• Rear-delt flyes with cables
• Standing arnold presses
• Single-arm side lat raises (slightly leaning forward)
• Wide grip barbell upright rows
• Military dumbbell presses

I did a set of 25 reps "Kettle bell Squats" squatting down with the kettle bell and swinging it upwards, squeezing my shoulder caps as i came up, between sets for EACH one of the exercises listed above! 

I finished up my workout with another 500-1000 skips!

When training shoulders i like to keep things simple, always do a few compound exercises and a few isolation moves as well as a cardio exercises that utilized the shoulders! Also, i like to engage my core, by doing most of these exercises while standing up, or in this case, using kettle bells in between sets!

A quick tip for fitness/figure competitors, i find that POSING practice REALLY helps sculpt your shoulders because flexing and bringing out those delts is mandatory in almost each one of our poses! Hope this helps! :)))

xo,

Alex L.