Besides offering personal training, I have recently started training a few aspiring competitors in the art of the pose.  For those of you that are thinking about ever jumping on stage I have three simple tips.

First, practice makes perfect.  It seems obvious but I know there are many competitors in the fitness industry who don’t put much time into presentation.

Second, the back side tells the whole story.  I’m not saying you can have a gut but judges will scrutinize your glutes and hamstrings above anything else.

Third, exude confidence when you are on stage.  If you put in all the hard work at the gym and you maintain a strict diet, once you hit the stage you’ve made it.  Now own that stage!

Finally, have fun every step of the way.  If you’re not having fun working out then it all becomes a huge chore.  If you’re interested in training with me, I’d love to help you.  Hit me up via the Contact section of the website and we can accomplish all of your fitness goals!

Besides fitness, I love modeling.  It’s always fun to see what the finished product looks like.

Yesterday I had the pleasure of shooting with Mark Weikert from Dark Photography.  He has studios in Germantown, Maryland and we took photos inside and outside as you can see here.  I’m so excited as most of the pics are different than most in my portfolio.  Here’s one of the first shots.  Do you like?

It’s that time of year.  Spring is coming.  Don’t you just love it?  But are you ready for it?  So many people hit the gym in January with their resolutions to get in better shape but by February I don’t see most of them.  It’s so easy to fall off the fit wagon, isn’t it?  So I’m going to give you three tips to help you spring into spring so you can rock your brand new Lightweight Prime Time shorts with pride!

First, set your goals.  Before I get ready for an IFBB competition I always start by setting a goal.  It may be to gain muscle mass in a certain area or I may be trying to get leaner.  Without setting a specific goal I cannot proceed with my plan of attack.  Similarly you need to set a goal if you want to make progress losing weight or whatever you are trying to accomplish.

Second, get organized.  Organization is the key to success.  When I’m prepping for a fitness competition, I start with a notebook where I write down all my workouts in a countdown fashion.  I’ll know each day when I go to the gym exactly how much time I have left until I hit the stage.  I also prepare my meals for the week each Sunday and plan out my entire schedule from working with my clients to doing my daily cardio.  I understand how busy everybody’s lives are.  It’s not easy balancing everything.  In order to achieve your goals, you have to get organized and have a plan of action from your diet to your exercise regimen.

Third, mix up your cardio routine.  So many of my clients tell me they get bored of the treadmill.  I constantly tell them to mix it up and to keep things fun.  We all know we have to stick to our diets but we also have to burn calories.  So if you’re getting bored using the machines at the gym, try jumping rope.  And with the weather improving with spring upon us head outside and run some sprints.  Believe me, you’ll blast your fat faster than ever before!

One of my favorite fitness quotes is by Jill Johnson, “Living a healthy lifestyle will only deprive you of poor health, lethargy, and fat.”  So true.  No matter where you are with your fitness and health goals, you can reach them.  And there’s no better time than now.  So spring into spring and make yourself proud!  Anything is possible!

Jessica Jessie