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Of Self-Doubt and Forging Ahead (and Happy 3rd Blogiversary)

If you’re looking for positives about getting older, you may not see them until you’re actually there. I knew I was suffering badly during my 20′s, but it’s only now that I can look back and see how far I’ve come. I was a late bloomer; I didn’t develop true self-confidence until after I had my daughter and returned to strength training.

My wiser, broader perspective made me realize that  comparing myself to others is a losing game. While competing can be a good thing to keep us pushing harder, comparing  feeds insecurities that are already too powerful. At this point I simply don’t have time to pay attention to my insecurities; I’m too busy enjoying what I like about myself and my life. But  it can be a good thing to air them out on occasion; when exposed to the light of day we might just see that our own insecurities are strengths, not weaknesses.

So on this third anniversary of WorkoutNirvana.com, a time when I feel so much gratitude to you for reading and following this blog, for being my clients, and for connecting with me here and elsewhere on the interwebz, I expose my own sometime-self-doubts for what they are: strengths disguised as weaknesses:

Workout NirvanaI’m not particularly “young” according to cultural standards and I got into the fitness industry relatively late in the game. But I’ve been lifting weights for over 15 years and I’ve never had as much energy, good health, or a more beautiful body.

I may not deadlift or bench press as much as others and I have tiny, injury-prone joints. But I’ve developed full-body conditioning and strength that most people will, unfortunately, only ponder having during their lives because they’re not willing or they’ve given up.

I’ve never been part of an “in crowd” and have never been one to follow a leader. But I’m authentic with everyone I meet, strive to be a good friend, and give help those who ask for it the best I can.

I’m a YouTube newbie and have aspirations I haven’t even come close to attaining yet. But in the last year I’ve started my own business, launched a whole new look on my site, and mapped out solid goals for helping as many people as I can in coming months and years. (And I just recorded my first YouTube video last week!)

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In the end, all that matters is being authentic to yourself. You can choose: Do I follow the beaten path, listening to people who have a completely different body and background than me, or do I forge my own way, navigating sometimes unwieldy undergrowth yet knowing this is the path I’m creating for myself

I started WorkoutNirvana three years ago not knowing it would lead to my becoming a certified personal trainer and virtual coach, meeting hundreds of new people, and helping many others find their footing and ideal physique through strength training. I started out only wanting to share my passion for the iron and the transformations weightlifting could offer to one’s body. I’ve carved my own path with my body and my life that now allows me to help others do the same, but I couldn’t have done it without hard-earned self-confidence and people like you.

Thank you.

Keep your eye on your goals and never stop believing you can reach them.

See you in Nirvana.

Building Your Glutes with Barbell Hip Thrusts

Barbel hip thrusts

More and more women are hearing about barbell hip thrusts as a way to build their glutes without ending up with huge quadriceps. Many of us find it insanely satisfying to see our glutes transformed and feel the sheer power of lifting a lot of iron with our hips. I assure you that even most guys aren’t doing the hip thrust, and when they see you crushing it they’ll be intrigued as they try not to look. Rest assured that {Read More…}

Just Do It: How to Protect Your Shoulders

Face Pull

If you could see into the future and knew your strength training workouts would be shut down by a shoulder injury, would you start doing things differently today? Not many people spend time maintaining shoulder health, but a lot of people spend time being injured. Shoulder injuries are ridiculously common, and those of us who lift weights should be focused not only building strength and size but on keeping our shoulders healthy. It’s a relatively delicate joint that we punish {Read More…}

Why You Should Ignore Celebrity Workouts

How to get ripped

When I stumbled upon this little video of a celebrity trainer showing how to achieve a celebrity’s upper body, I was flabbergasted. If you believe this trainer, to look like this particular celebrity you need to lift three-pound weights for 10-15 reps and use microscopically thin resistance bands. We wouldn’t want you to break a nail! And heaven forbid you “bulk up,” the authoritative male trainer warns us. What the f*ck? Seriously – I thought this kind of misinformation was just legend at this {Read More…}

Women and Creatine 101

Women and creatine

Like a lot of women, even though I’d strength trained for years I was still afraid of using creatine. I’m careful about what I put in my body and had more than a few questions: Would this “natural” supplement cause my already sensitive stomach to balloon? Would it turn me into the Incredible Hulk? Was it even safe? After some research, I decided to give creatine a try to see just how far it could take me with my muscle-building {Read More…}

3 Ways to Maximize Your Strength Workouts

Maximize your workouts

I often hear people say they want to “maximize” their strength-training workouts. The translation of this statement is usually “my workouts aren’t giving me what I want.” If this is you, you’re smart to think you should be doing something differently to build muscle or lose fat. But what is that “something?” You can improve your workouts – and your body composition– by changing an almost endless array of variables. Here are just three ways to start seeing better progress immediately. Avoid Ineffective {Read More…}