Gym Rat Fitness Personal Training Magazine

My name is Talla Amini and I am a bikini and fitness model . I was born and raised in Naples , Florida . I grew up dancing in ballet and then started to play tennis and since then I always had that feel of wanting to be acting and spend my extra time being physical that would challenge me .

After a few years once I got into high school , I was the one out of the two woman that chose “bench press” class as we had a few options to choose from . I was the one out of two that loved it , and since then I fell in love with gaining strength . It was one hour devoted to chest press and leg press and I found it very motivating !

After high school I went to study education at the University of Washington to become a first grade teacher and receive my bachelors degree there. During this time of studying , I worked at at many gyms doing part time work .

From this experience , my motivation to get in shape increased rapidly , which later turned into me having the desire to compete !

In October of 2013, I did my first bikini competition which I placed in the top among 21 athletes which even made more excited to compete ! I then competed in other shows taking first at a few shows and staying in the top three .

In 2017, I took what I felt was my lowest placing at the Emerald Cup but since then I have been determined and driven to have my comeback in 2018 and the best that I can do.

Stats

Age: 30

Height: 5-5

Competition weight: 115 pounds

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We talk positive body image and its relationship to good health with cover models and founders of AnyBODY, Georgia Gibbs, and Kate Wasley.

Far from a biological predisposition, our modern tendency to criticise parts of our own body is instead an ugly by-product of a media-saturated world. Something that this month’s cover models and founders of body-love movement, AnyBODY, are on a mission to change.

Our cover model interview talks about their personal experiences, how AnyBODY came about and the impact positive body image has on your health.

While we don’t want to give too much away, here’s a little sneak peek of their approach to exercise, healthy eating and inspiration. 

ON EXERCISE

Wasley: I love to get out and go for long coast walks and jogs when I’m home in Perth. Honestly, it’s beautiful. But when I travel I hit the gym. I love boxing and lifting weights, but it depends on how I feel and where I am. Some weeks I need a group cardio class to help motivate me, other times I like to zone out listening to music and lift as heavy as I can.

Gibbs: I train every day as part of my wellness routine. KX Pilates and boxing are regular favourites, along with daily walks outside or on the treadmill.

ON DIET

Wasley: My everyday nutrition is generally good. I’m not going to lie: I have days where I eat poorly because I feel down or hormonal. But, overall, it’s good – I used to study nutrition so I know the science and what works for me! I love my carbs, lots of leafy greens and fish.

Gibbs: I absolutely love food. I drink lots of green smoothies, and some of my daily favourites include avo on spelt bread, and quinoa and spinach salads with feta and salmon. I love to have blueberries and apples as a snack. I also enjoy a glass of red wine and some dark chocolate now and again!

ON A DAY-IN-THE-LIFE-OF

Wasley: A typical work day would find me up at 6am. I shower and eat my oats, throw on whatever clothes I find and head to the studio, where hair and make-up artists turn me from zombie to model! A day off consists of catching up on my social media accounts and replying to messages, seeing my friends and going to the gym in the evening.

Gibbs: An average day for me would be shooting for 10 to 12 hours, usually flying interstate, and trying to squeeze in a healthy balance of exercise and sleep – so life can get a little hectic! But I love what I do because it has so much variety. On my off days, I like to nurture my physical and mental health, take myself to the beach and have some alone time, and exercise as much as possible.

ON PERSONALITY

Wasley: I’m a very caring and compassionate person regardless of who I’m around. If I’m meeting new people, I tend to be very introverted and not say much unless I have to stand up for something I’m passionate about. If I’m around my close friends, I can be loud and opinionated, and I love telling stories and making people laugh.

Gibbs: For people who know me, I think they would say I’m a big ball of love, to anyone and everyone. At the same time, I’m very ambitious and extremely driven, while simultaneously a homebody; I love nothing more than being surrounded by family and my partner.

ON ROLE MODELS

Wasley: My biggest role models in my day-to-day life are my parents. Not once have I heard my mum put herself down or my dad ever speak badly about somebody’s weight; they’re extremely hardworking and the most generous people I know. My celebrity role model would have to be Ashley Graham for her work on body positivity, or Ellen DeGeneres for her work and advocacy for LGBT rights.

Gibbs: My role model would have to be Emma Watson. She’s inspired me for many years, and seeing her evolution from actress to ambassador and spokeswomen is enough to kick my butt into gear whenever I doubt or have a bad day! She’s my absolute idol.

Ace your next race with these top tips

Read the article –

Running tips for women

If you want to look like an elite athlete in time to take your shirt off for summer, then you better start training like one. Don’t know where to start? We recruited Ben Prentiss, a strength coach and owner of Prentiss Hockey Performance in Stamford, CT, who trains NHL All-Stars like Jonathan Quick and Eric Staal, to write this full-body workout that can be done with nothing more than sliders—an excellent tool to challenge your muscular stability, balance, and overall athleticism.

“The workout pairs agonist and antagonist muscles together as supersets,” explains Prentiss. “This allows you to train the full body equally without any overcompensations.”

Another benefit: Performing exercises that incorporate movement on an unstable surface forces your body to work harder to keep you balanced. In turn, you burn more calories and become stronger in positions that are more practical and natural than, say, a biceps curl. To finish, you’ll power through three core-focused exercises to jack up your heart rate and strengthen your abs.

CORE CONCEPTS

A strong core is the centerpiece of top athletes, and though this workout targets your abs plenty already, we consulted Ice Cross Downhill 2016 world champion Cameron Naasz—who glides down a 1,200-meter ice track on skates at 40 mph while battling for space against fellow skaters—for more ways to add core work into your training.

WORK UNILATERALLY

To challenge stability, Naasz suggests performing exercises, like box jumps and squats, with just one leg. “If you really get it down, then you can move into one-footed box jumps with a pistol squat at the top of the box. Then you have to jump down on one leg and do another pistol squat. It’s all about progression,” Naasz explains. “Once you get that down, just keep trying new one-legged challenges to improve your stability.”

USE A BALANCE BOARD

“With skating, you have to have the ability to stay under control while working through transitions, so your core is a major factor,” says Naasz, whose sport challenges his core due to constant shifts in his body mechanics. To replicate this, he performs exercises on an uneven surface. “I’ll do squats on balance boards, and I’ll also jump down from boxes on them, trying to land on one leg.” We suggest starting with the former before moving on to the latter.

JUMP LATERALLY

In Ice Cross Downhill, Naasz has to fight to stay forward and upright while his opponents bump into him and he makes contact with the boards. To train for this, Naasz works lateral hops into his program. “We tie a string to a squat rack or boxes and stand next to it facing forward. Then we hop over it laterally,” says Naasz, who will also have a teammate lightly push him mid-jump to disrupt his balance. “It’s awkward. You have to fight to stop your body from shifting midair.” To start, practice by hopping laterally over a bench or small box two feet at a time, keeping your torso and head facing forward. Being pushed by friends is optional.

PRO TIP

If you don’t want to shell out $15 for sliders, use a pair of (preferably clean) socks on a hardwood floor instead.

THE SLIDER WORKOUTPerform 15 minutes of foam rolling, lateral band walks, and light shoulder exercises. Then do this workout two to three times per week.

EXERCISE 1A

REVERSE LUNGE W/ FORWARD REACHHow to

4sets

8-12reps

30 sec.rest

EXERCISE 1B

PUSHUP AND PIKEHow to

4sets

8-12reps

60 sec.rest

EXERCISE 2A

HIP THRUST W/ NEGATIVE CURLHow to

4sets

10-12reps

30 sec.rest

EXERCISE 2B

BUZZ SAW PLANKHow to

4sets

10-12reps

60 sec.rest

EXERCISE 3

PRONE SNOW ANGELHow to

4sets

15reps

10 sec.rest

FINISHERSDirections: Perform between five and 10 rounds of the following circuit, depending on how you’re feeling. Rest 30 seconds between rounds.

EXERCISE 1

MOUNTAIN CLIMBER ON SLIDERSYou’ll need: Sliding DiscsHow to

1sets

10reps

—rest

EXERCISE 2

GROINERHow to

1sets

10reps

—rest

EXERCISE 3

OBLIQUE SLIDEHow to

1sets

10reps

—rest

Read more –

The Muscle-Building, Fat-Burning Slider Workout

As much as we appreciate the calorie burn native to hill sprints, they can get boring come the end of your training week. Change up your routine with this high-intensity blast courtesy of our beautiful cover model, Jenna Douros – if you’re game!

What is the ‘middle age spread’?

The term ‘middle-age spread’ has been etched into ageing lore, yet unflattering connotations ignore the naturalness of physiological change. Expecting to weigh the same at 30 as 18 is folly according to clinical psychologist Louise Adams from Treat Yourself Well.

“Our body weight at age 18 is for many of us the lightest we have ever been,” says Adams. “We may not have stopped growing at that point and may not have reached full maturity. Weight gain as we age is quite normal and body shape and size can change over our lifetime. Sticking to a weight from many years ago is unrealistic for the vast majority of us. It’s similar to remembering how your skin looked as a teenager and expecting the same in middle age.”

The other sticking point in weight expectations is that many of us expect that with enough weights training and self-control we can defy the effects of hormonal changes associated with mid life.

“I think we should be a bit more accepting of carrying a bit of weight as we get older,” says the University of Melbourne‘s Dr Joseph Proietto, a professor of medicine. “There are multiple studies that suggest that a little extra weight can be a healthy thing. In one study we conducted we looked at people who had stents put in their hearts for angina. We found that the underweight people died at a faster rate, and the overweight were better than the normal weight, the mildly obese were better than the overweight in terms of survival.”

How to stay trim – despite your age!

Dr Lavie encourages a paradigm shift from weight to fitness. “It’s much better to strive for fitness and be on the thicker side than to be thin and unfit,” he says. “Loss of fitness is a much stronger predictor of mortality than weight gain.”

He says the ideal is to exercise 40 to 45 minutes a day, five to six days a week, with plenty of strength work.

“Fitness gurus will tell you that strength training becomes more vital the older one gets, and they are right, for it supports muscle mass like no other form of exercise and can help increase not only strength but also bone mass,” says Dr Lavie.

“In most people, muscle strength peaks in our 20s and then gradually decreases. Recent research suggests that women on average will lose muscle mass twice as fast as men the same age, which can make a huge difference in their ability to maintain an ideal weight.”

1. Improved cardiovascular health (the ability for your heart to efficiently pump and regulate oxygenated blood in your body)

2. Low impact on joints

3. Fat burning: Uses the biggest muscle group (legs and gluteus) thus aiding fat burning, promotion of lean muscle mass and overall toning, and get buns of steel. Really.

4. Ideal for low levels of fitness: Not about strength but technique

5. Builds strength: Once you build up your technique, you can work on adding extra resistance for strength

6. Works your core: If you cycle correctly, you will be using your core muscles at all times

7. Fun: When exercise is fun it sends even more endorphins through your body as you’re not punishing your body. The social aspect adds to the time you can spend exercising; it creates a moment to connect physically and mentally that increases your emotional wellbeing. A healthy heart = a happy heart.