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It's the modern aesthetic. Girls are wanting to have bigger butts and smaller waists and when you train to accentuate the shoulder to waist ratio, a smaller waist is what you get essentially.

Irina Post won her class at the ultra competitive Arnold Amateur in 2020 by virtue of a great v-taper among other things that are the criteria for a champion bikini body. Now she is preparing for another shot at her pro status at a national contest later this year.

In this video she explains her busy schedule and how she like to superset muscle groups, in this case shoulders and back, to expedite the training process to get in and out of the gym.

_"I like to train alone most of the time. When i superset exercises, I really get my sweat on and I can complete my workout in 45 minutes."

Assisted lat pull ups 3 sets x 10-15 reps

Single arm pull down superset with dumbbell pullovers 3 sets x 15 reps

Dumbbell row superset with single arm cable pull overs 3 sets x 12-15 reps

Front raise and lateral combo 3 sets x 12-15 reps

Upright row superset with T-bar rows 3 sets x 12-15 reps

Sexy V Taper - Back and Shoulder Training

 has a long background within weight training that goes about 17 years back in time. That's where he set his foundation for his knowledge within anatomy and his understanding for the functions of the human body.

In this video Robin is going through leg training and explaining part of his philosophy around how to add resistance when training legs. We get to see a little different execution of both new but also existing classic exercises which with minor adjustments will feel a lot more challenging than before. Robin goes through all movements thoroughly and explains the different functions and what actually happens during the movement.

"There is a million different kickback variants but common for them all is the technique."

Robin explains what's important to think about when it comes to correct execution to get the most out of each exercise and find contact with the muscles.

"When we train like this we don't always have to go to maximum failure in the exercise itself, there'll be automatic failure in the muscle we are training."

Robin says that training smart doesn't mean to cheat the weight up and don't perform the movements strict. It is all about "muscle connection" and it is important to find contact with the muscle and learn to manage the technique. Correct technique can be challenging in the beginning, but practice makes perfect! Keep doing it and it'll stick eventually

One Leg Hamstrings - 3 sets low weight 4-12 reps, 5 working sets 6-12 reps

Kickback Machine - 3 set low weight 10-15 reps, 5 working sets 12-20 reps

"Finnen"/ Nordic Hamstring - 3-5 set 1-6 reps, do not over-do this one

Sissy Squat variation 3-5 set 3-12 reps increase each set

Squats in Smith - 3 set low weight, increase the weight every set 2-5 reps, 3 working sets 8-12 reps

Train Smart with Robin Anzengruber

Nathalia Melo is pumped to be able to be in the gym with legit equipment and most of all "motivated people who are working hard and killing it."

Nothing beats an epic atmosphere where people eliminate excuses and limits and fear!

Here Nathalia went ham (no pun intended) on her leg training focusing more on quadriceps (thigh muscle) with 3 intense supersets.

3x 4x5 pumps Narrow Leg Smith Machine pump

Leg Day Motivation with Nathalia Melo

More in Ambassadors

 at Pro Gym Stockholm. We get to take part in her leg workout where she focuses on "muscle contact" by doing high reps, a lot of squeeze and stretching in the bottom position. She is also using heavy weights to get the most out of her training.

Angelica is a competing fitness athlete and she's been competing in several divisions like Athletic Fitness, Body Fitness (figure) and lately Women's Physique.

"You have to endure pretty rough and brutal diets as a physique athlete."

Why do people choose to put themselves through this? Angelica feels like this is something you do for yourself and something to be proud of at completion.

"You win a lot by fighting battles with yourself."

Angelica haven't competed the past two years and she is currently off-season. However, she's still living the fitness lifestyle, eating nutritious foods, training very hard and focuses on feeling good.

This is a lifestyle I'd like to keep for the rest of my life. I want to be old, strong and look good in 40 or 50 years, and that is my current goal.

Further Angelica wants to be her own motivation in training and she is working towards becoming the best version of herself, which is a goal only she herself can achieve.

What she so far has done, achieved and is able to do now, are results of her hard work with herself and her own training progression and development.

Be Your Own Motivation

Glutes are the focus of a lot of women in the gym because, lets face it, they are a huge focus out of the gym. It is an innate human trait to be aesthetically drawn to physiques with a round and proportionate set of buns.

A tight set of glutes usually come with equally developed and aesthetic hamstrings and quadriceps which overall speaks volumes subconsciously of being athletic, strong, confident and sexy.

For Cherie, who is competing in the wellness division in 2020, its not all about glute development. "You still have to have the other leg muscles i.e the quads and hamstrings in proportion to the glutes as well as the shoulders, arms, back and a nice core to be competitive in the wellness division."

To accomplish well developed and balanced legs Cherie uses a wide variety of exercises.

"A lot of women who don't really know about the gym think that squats are the only and best way to build your legs. Change it up and use variety."

Build Powerful Glutes & Legs with Cherie

 is a 24 year old girl living in Stockholm, Sweden. She is originally from Örnsköldsvik and prior to relocating to Stockholm she lived in Umeå for 3 years where she studied to become a dietitian.

Training is one of Elin's biggest interests. Sports and training have always been parts of her life. During early years she played soccer and practiced several times per day, so her current training schedule and everyday life is not much different than that.

"I have exchanged the soccer for weight training."

Elin have been training with weights in the gym since she was 20 years old. Schedules doesn't exist for her when it comes to her workouts. The only thing she focuses on is to enter the gym and work as hard as she can every time.

She has never had a firm goal with her training but the past year her thoughts have started drifting towards competing.

"Some people enjoy reading books, I enjoy training hard in the gym."

Today we are joining Elin for a back workout.

Back Training with Elin Sellgren 

 is a 31 years old bodybuilding athlete from Sweden. He has been training since 2011 and his current goal is to win a gold medal at Swedish Championships 2021. He is also actively working to grow his own supplement company SSN Nutrition.

_"Typically I do one competition prep each year. I spend 8-14 weeks on a strict diet and the rest of the year I'm in off-season, taking time off and relaxing. Things doesn't have to be so strict during off-season."

In this video, Richard will guide you through one of his back workouts. When he works out he always put focus on training as hard as he can.

Warm-up: 2 sets pullovers with rope x 10-12 reps

T-bar row: 3-4 sets warm-up, 2 max sets with 80-100kg

Complete Back Workout 

Go heavy to grow your legs... IT'S NOT THAT SIMPLE!

If you limit yourself to the common perspective in bodybuilding that says more weight is better for leg growth then it's a safe bet that your leg growth potential will never be realized.

In this leg training session at DESTINATION Dallas, IFBB Pro Bernardo Costa is partnering up with amateur bodybuilder Shane Post. Both are competitive bodybuilders actively preparing for competition in the latter part of 2020. Bernardo is 6'3" and Shane is 5'7". With vastly different structures and limb length the mission here is the same for both - to eliminate limiting factors in order to stimulate maximum muscle growth.

Bernardo and Shane are including classic exercises like hack squats, leg curls and leg extensions to get the most out of their leg workout.

Some concepts covered here that are important and may contribute to or halt leg muscle stimulation:

In this case Bernardo explains potentiation and how it optimizes the environment of your muscles in regards to electrolytes to be able to FULLY give 100% in your work sets. 

"If I didn't have the potentiation set then the actual work set would be considerably harder."

When you try to use too much weight too soon, you don't take advantage or even properly execute the whole movement which leads to a lot of imbalances and ultimately injuries and in turn NO growth.

Bernardo explains that a common cause of knee pain is tight calves. 

"When the calves are tight, they are shortened causing them to pull on the heel hence making you come up on your toes in the bottom of compound movements like the hack squat, which leads to the knee pain that is so common. Stretch out your calves before training."

Most people think they are working hard but usually they have a lot more to give. To get the most out of any training, reaching failure is a must on some of your working sets. That is when you know you give 100% when you physically cant get another rep by yourself.

Bernardo is preparing for the IFBB Battle of Texas and we are documenting his prep along with Courage Opara who is preparing for the same contest. Shane Post is preparing for the North American Championships where he will compete in both bodybuilding and classic physique for his professional status.

 for more training information and motivation!

Realize Your Leg Growth Potential

Swedish Elin Söderström is 23 years old. She works full time as a police officer but when she's not at work her focus is training and fitness, specifically CrossFit.

Elin discovered CrossFit three years ago from in the beginning she doing it just for fun, it quickly became one of her biggest passions and she is today an active CrossFit competitor.

“CrossFit is one of the most important things in my life.”

All of Elin's spare time is spent at the "box" and her goal is to reach top 10 status among the Swedish female athletes in the sport within the next 5 years.

In contrast to the typical gym "the box" (aka CrossFit gym) doesn't have any mirrors and the Elin explains the feeling to be a little more rough. This removes distraction and it demands a different kind of focus which Elin really enjoys.

“CrossFit is about always doing the best you can with what you have.”

Last year Elin competed in Cyprus, Greece among with other female athletes, some of them on World Champion level, and she came home with a lot of experience that she's using to progress and develop within the sport.

With 5-6 workouts per week Elin is aiming to do more competitions both in Sweden and abroad. A strong passion for something usually also means sacrifices in other areas and Elin's determination to reach her goals transcends into her life in general. She makes sure to always get enough sleep and rest and she is conscious about her food choices.

Elin has a hard headed personality and she wants to look back and know she did everything she could to make it as far as possible within the sport.

Goal: Top 10 Female CrossFit Athlete

More in Lifestyle

In this video from the Better Bodies home base, Destination Dallas Texas, we meet 

, female police officer, mother, and physique competitor. For Cherie, the gym is as much of a ritual as anyone's cup of coffee or basic hygiene. Training is a routine to keep her sane and provides a release from her sometimes stressful days in law enforcement.

As a female police officer she also uses the gym to gain strength and stay fit. While it may not be visible to the eye, being strong makes Cherie confident in her job, and for anyone familiar with the the law enforcement, confidence in your job is very important .

"The gym is my outlet, if I have a long day, it is a place to just let loose and go ham."

Growing up in Los Angeles, Cherie was extremely active and had a desire to be in the military. After her brother came back from the military he advised her to pick a different route, so she decided to become a police officer. Cherie spent a few years in Louisiana as a police officer before moving to Texas.

"I know that when I am out in the field, the gym and gym training has enabled me to push myself and give that much more strength before my back-up gets there."

The gym is life for many and provides a sanctuary where the everyday stress and worries can be put aside. In so many aspects, training and staying fit can potentially save lives, especially for Cherie with the need for mental and physical strength in her profession, and how she needs a place to wind down and let go of a tough day.

When training, Cherie pushes herself to the max. 

"The person in prison is working hard, so I need to work harder!"

Cherie is also an active physique competitor and with the addition of the NPC's wellness category, she has found her next competitive endeavor here soon and we are looking forward to see her getting ready for her next physique competition.

Weight training and physical exercise has many well documented benefits for mental and physical health. Not only does it help controlling common health issues like high blood pressure, weight gain, triglycerides and cholesterol. It can also help to improve cognitive function and memory, relieve stress, help you sleep better, and boost your overall mood.

"When gyms are closed I struggle mentally more than physically. Simply because it is my outlet, and my daily schedule involves working out."

Cherie explains that before she found the gym she was a college soccer player. Once that ended she became a "gym head" and spent at least 1,5 hours per workout, sometimes more than once per day.

"If there is no gym, my mentality changes, and I'm not as nice, that's just how it is."

As a female police officer Cherie has had to work harder and be better than many to gain respect in her profession. She replicates the same behavior from gym resistance training when she's in the field simply by using the same mentality of knowing that she can always do one more rep - aka can always push herself a little bit more.

What is the reason that you train; mental health, your job, improving your physique, an upcoming competition, gaining strength, or is it simply to feel good? Join our 

Better Bodies Community Group on Facebook

If you're looking for more fitness and workout motivation, our Better Bodies 

 is a source of inspiration for many with its blogs and workout videos covering different aspects of fitness and training.

Fitness For A Police Officer

More in Nutrition

1 lb of strawberries contains about 300 calories, and this donut is about 250 calories - what do you choose?"

 is a nutritionist and bodyfitness (figure) athlete from Sweden.

We join her grocery shopping as she explains her approach to and provides helpful tips for a "lean bulk". A lean bulk means a clean bulk where you're trying to gain as much muscle as possible, with as little fat gain as possible.

When bulking the goal is to increase the caloric intake to promote muscle growth. A lean bulk focuses on a slow weight gain where the protein intake stays somewhat the same and the additional calories mainly comes form carbs.

A lean bulk is a clean bulk and many people might refer to it as reversed dieting. Keep in mind that to lose fat is not a focus when bulking. While the goal is to gain muscle, naturally some fat will be gained when you eat more calories than you spend.

A lean bulk is the opposite of the classic "dirty" bulk where people eat as much as possible of whatever they can to get as much excessive calories as possible. In that situation your body automatically gets in a caloric surplus, the question is though, how much caloric surplus do you actually need?

There has been research showing that it is beneficial for a bodybuilder to NOT gain too much fat off-season. The leaning down phase will take much longer time with more fat to loose.

I am an advocate of lean bulk. It is actually healthier and it puts more focus on getting the right macro nutrients. If you compare your bulk phase to the diet for leaning out, you'll probably keep the protein the same, eat a bit more fat, and increase the carbs.

As a fitness athlete it is always nice to keep some form of physique and shape that you might actually like to during the off-season, instead of feeling like you're a totally different person.

I'd like to put some extra emphasis for you guys to focus on eating your carbs. Rice, pasta, potatoes, fruits etc. are your friends. And don't be afraid of eating a lot of food. It's very important for us as fitness people to not be afraid of food and to eat enough, but you don't have to go crazy and eat everything you see.

Excessive eating without restriction may be fun short term, but for long term physical and mental health as well as fitness wise and with future diets and competitions in mind, it might be more sustainable to find a balanced approach with a slightly increased caloric surplus AKA "lean bulk". I can definitely recommend this.

I always try to buy the vegetables that are on campaign/sale. Eating large amounts of vegetables makes me feel full and satisfied so I include quite a lot of them in my diet. This is also important for micro nutrients and to cover all aspects of nutrition.

One of my favorite fat sources is salmon. It is something we all should include in our diets because it contains quite a bit of Omega-3 which is hard to find in foods (walnuts is an example of a non-fish food that contains Omega-3).

I also always add some oil to my food. I typically use olive oil, but sometimes also sesame oil. I just drizzle it over my rice or potatoes or whatever I'm eating. It is very easy to add to the food. Other fat sources could be avocado, coconut oil, or whatever you like.

Since I am doing a lean bulk I am increasing my carbs more and more and I am having so much fun with it! I am feeling the strength gains in the gym and I feel way more energized. I currently eat about 300 grams of carbs per day and I am working to further increase this. While on a diet I only get approximately half of this.

Jackie trains fasted but she might eat a rice or corn cake during the workout if she feels extra hungry, she usually take Creatine and Citrulline Malate prior to workout.

The rice or corn cake will add to the calorie intake of course, but when doing a lean bulk, adding carbs with moderation is Jackies approach. Many people like drinking lean protein shakes but check out Jackies typical day below, and you might find that your nutrition needs can be satisfied with food only.

Casein Protein Powder (casein protein will make you feel full longer)

Usually my pm snack is fruit, like Watermelon. I like watermelon because it is very voluminous so you can eat a lot of volume and get few calories. Otherwise I may eat corn or rice cakes with some cottage cheese on top. Bananas are also good to keep at home when trying to increase the carbohydrate intake.

Most people think that pasta is bad for them, but the fun fact is that pasta actually contains the same amount of carbs and calories that rice does. Switch it up!

Apples and oranges have a high satiety index. This means they'll make you feel full faster, with less calories. If you have problems feeling hungry often, try to add an apple or an orange.

Interested in seeing more of Jackie? Check out 

Jackies Shoulder Workout For Better Delts

Lean Bulk Explained - Minimize The Fat Gain

Where would we be without competition? In the bodybuilding world we would have never had Franco vs Arnold, Lee Labrada vs Lee Haney, Ronnie vs Jay or Phil vs Kai Green.

The point is that competition brings out the best in all of us. We all have an innate desire to beat the next guy and be left standing as the champion.

Bernardo Costa is making his classic physique pro debut at the Battle fo Texas this December. Courage Opara, an established pro with a top 3 in the Arnold Classic and 2 top 10 placings at the Olympia is planning on competing at the same event. They link up with us to document the whole competitive process.

Bernardo and Courage follow different training methodologies with OVERLOAD as the core principle. Here is their push workout (chest, shoulders and triceps).

Machine chest flys: 3 x 15 (not to failure)

Incline Dumbbell Press: 2 warm up and 3 x 10-12 reps

Hammer shoulder press: static weight - 3 x 10-15 reps

Dumbbell Laterals: 3 x 10-15 (last set is a drop set)