July 24th, 2010 was yet another stellar showing for the sport.  NPC District Chairman and promoter, Jon Lindsay, hosted another all-star turn out with the Los Angeles Championships this past weekend.  (July 24th, 2010).  On hand were over 170 competitors, vying for the top spots in this national qualifyiing event, just 1 week away from the “big show” of the amateur competition calendar, the USA’s in Las Vegas, Nevada.

As per tradition, Jon foregoes pro-level guest posers at this event, promoting instead the local bodybuilders that are prepping for stage at the USA’s the following weekend.  Tonight was no different.  Perennial USA contenders from the greater LA area included several athletes, all in top condition – PD Devers, Pete Ciccone, Jesse Sabateer, Al Shahnazarian, and Kelly Bautista were among the MAN Sports friends and family to grace the stage, guest-posing with the “USA preview Posedown” tradition tonight.

MAN Sports athlete and IFBB Pro, Meriza DeGuzman, poses with NPC Bikini Champion and top USA contender, Pete Ciccone (FIRST PHOTO) after Pete had the chance to strut his Swagger on stage moments earlier during the USA Posedown.  Pete’s obviously got his Swagger on tonight, with both of these beautiful ladies on his arm!

“It was another great NPC competition in Southern California.  Following fast on the heels of the record-setting USA’s in Vegas only 2 short weeks ago, the Southern California bodybuilding scene turned it up again for the men (and women) in uniform!  MAN Sports was there to celebrate the hard-working soldiers who find the time put it together for the contest stage for this, their national championships!  Congratulations to all the men and women who came out to compete in the 2010 All Forces and Pacific USA this weekend.  Special thanks to Jon Lindsay and the NPC once again for putting on a high class, fun and highly competitive event.”

Attendees and competitors alike had the opportunity to meet IFBB Figure Pro and Olympian, Meriza DeGuzman, and NPC Champion Bikini Competitor, Khay Rosemond, as they sampled some of MAN Sports powerful products part of what we call “Meriza’s Sex Appeal Stack” – Meriza’s own recommendation for maximizing tight, toned and shapely muscle while stripping away fat – and feeling good while doing it!

“Meriza’s Sex Appeal Stack” includes:  Scorch (energy and fat loss) Vaporize (prevent fat storage, Essential Fat health) Body Octane (anti-fatigue, high-level endurance) and Figure Fuel (Tighten, Tone, Anti-Fatigue, Burn Fat with BCAA’s and L-Carnitine) –

Both Khay and Meriza shared some of their own fitness tips and secrets, and talked to attendees about the rockin’ MAN Sports products they both use, including SWAGGER, MAN Sports cutting edge mood enhancing, focus and energy formula that helps with the “clear-brain feel, and doesn’t add jitter to your day…Add on top of that the new Figure Fuel (strong enough for a man, but formulated for athletic women!!) the BCAA-enriched, beta alanine and l-Carnitine fat-mobilizing / anti-catabolic / anti-fatigue product, and you’ll be running all day long!

Stay tuned for more from MAN Sports and these lovely ladies as they both hit the gym, and prepare for their next major event!

Photos include:

• Meriza and NPC District Chairman and promoter, Jon Lindsay
• Meriza and NPC USA finalist, Pete Ciccone
• Meriza and interested attendee!
• Khay, Meriza and other pro’s attending the show, IFBB Pro’s Sabrina Gibson and Sonya Gonzalez
• Meriza, Khay and MAN Sports powerful mood-enhancing, focus and energy formula, “Swagger”!

Fit and Lean

Bikini Body Blast

Circuit Program 1

You think Bikini Competitors are not athletes?  Try this workout on for size, build a tight bootie, and streamline that curvaceous beach physique!

This program, designed by MAN Sports athlete, IFBB Pro, Meriza DeGuzman helped NPC bikini champion, Khay Rosemond, prepare for top level competition for the 2010 competitive season.  Her prize winning package earned her top honors at the West Coast Classic, A class and Overall.  Keep an eye out for more from Khay – This Ironman Magazine Rising Star uses Meriza’s Sex Appeal Stack, and won’t train without her Figure Fuel and Body Octane!

Fit and Lean Bikini Body Blast Circuit Program 1

Program 1 is a complete training protocol that will challenge the entire muscular system, with special focus on tightening, toning the glutes and hams, while shaping the entire body, for that feminine, hour-glass shape, feminine curves and a toned, athletic appearance.

Perform this exercise protocol for 2-weeks, Mon/Tues, Thurs/Fri, following the exercises in sequence as listed below.  The weights chosen are suggested guidelines only – and not written in stone.  If the suggested weights are too light, of course, increase resistance during the exercise so that the prescribed rep range can be performed, completed with sincere difficulty.  Be sure to challenge yourself.

Monday/Thursday Circuit:

Perform each exercise in consecutive order with no rest in between sets, until the 2 Giant Sets are completed, utilizing the following pattern.

Perform:  Giant Set A (see below) 4 times; rest 1 minute in between each Giant Set, then repeat.  On completion of 4 cycles of Giant Set A, rest for 1 minute, and then begin Giant Set B.  Perform 4 cycles of Giant Set B as well.

Tuesday/Friday Circuit:

Please review the exercises below, and follow the exercises in the protocol as follows:

Perform:  Giant Set B (see below) 4 times; rest 1 minute in between each Giant Set, then repeat.  On completion of 4 cycles of Giant Set B, rest for 1 minute, and then begin Giant Set A.  Perform 4 sets of Giant Set A as well.

Fit and Lean Bikini Body Blast:

Giant Set A (LOWER BODY FOCUS)

A.  Vertical Press – (close stance, place feet high on platform, in front of pelvis – this targets glutes/hamstrings)

1.  90lbs x 25 reps

2.  135lbs x 25 reps

3.  180lbs x 20 reps

4.  225lbs x 15 reps

B.  Stiff Leg Dead Lift (feet wider than shoulder width “sumo style”)

1.  bar + 10lbs per side x 25 reps

2.  bar + 20lbs per side x 20 reps

3.  bar + 30lbs per side x 15 reps

4.  bar + 30lbs per side x 15 reps

C.  Hamstring Curls, Lying

1.  30lbs x 25 reps

2.  40lbs x 20 reps

3.  50lbs x 15 reps

4.  50lbs x 15 reps

D.  Leg Extensions (choose a weight that will allow you to fatigue at 13-15 reps)

1.  15 reps

2.  15 reps

3.  15 reps

4.  15 reps

Perform each exercise consecutively, one after the other, A, B, C, D, 1 set of each.  After completing this Giant Set, rest for 1 minute, then repeat.  Again, perform each exercise with no rest in between sets, until the Giant Set is completed.  Then rest for 1 minute, drink water, repeat.

Fit and Lean Bikini Body Blast:

Giant Set B (UPPER BODY FOCUS)

A.  Hammer IsoLateral Shoulder Press

1.  25lbs per side x 15 reps

2.  35lbs per side x 15 reps

3.  45lbs per side x 15 reps

4.  45lbs per side x 15 reps

B.  Wide Grip Pull-ups (assisted) – choose weighted assistance to allow you to fatigue at 13-15 reps

1.  15 reps

2.  15 reps

3.  15 reps

4.  15 reps

C.  Dumbbell Arnold Press, with Plie-Squats (toes turned out, heels planted wider than shoulders – knees turned out to align w/ toes) – Focus on inner thigh, glutes

1.  15lbs x 15 reps

2.  20lbs x 15 reps

3.  20lbs x 15 reps

4.  20lbs x 15 reps

D.  Narrow Grip Pulldown (use “triangle grip” where palms face each other)

1.  approx 50lbs?  x 25 reps

2.  approx 60lbs?  x 20 reps

3.  approx 70lbs? x 15 reps

4.  approx 70lbs? x 15 reps

Perform each exercise consecutively, one after the other, A, B, C, D, 1 set of each.  After completing this Giant Set, rest for 1 minute, then repeat.  Again, perform each exercise with no rest in between sets, until the Giant Set is completed.  Then rest for 1 minute, drink water, repeat.

Khay Rosemond www.khayrosemond.com

FIGURE PERFECT…RESHAPING A PRIZE-WINNING PHYSIQUE

MY JOURNEY BACK TO THE OLYMPIA STAGE…

By Meriza DeGuzman, IFBB Pro Figure

Hi, everyone!  I’m Meriza DeGuzman.  I’m a professional Figure athlete.  But, I’m also a full-time personal trainer and fitness coach, as well as a full-time mom.  This year, I qualified again for the Ms. Olympia competition and I’m so excited!  The opportunity to stand under that big red “O” on the stage with some of the best female athletes in the world is such an honor.  I am very thankful – I feel blessed to be able to have the chance so many pro athletes in our sport dream about.  I’d like to share with you a little bit of what it took to get me back up onto the Olympia stage once again.

As an athlete, I’ve been very fortunate to work with some of the best training and nutritional experts in the sport.  For my contest preps this year, I have worked very closely with nutritionist, Kim Oddo, my sponsor, Joey Rodriques of MAN Sports and Physique Specialist (and also my fiancé), Pete Ciccone of 619 Muscle.

My First Year in the Big Leagues:

In 2007, when I turned pro and earned my first Olympia qualification, the criteria for girls at the pro level was somewhat different than it is now.  Competing at the elite level meant displaying more muscle and having a leaner, tighter look.  After turning pro and then standing on the Olympia stage next to physiques like those of Gina Aliotti, Monica Brant, Amanda Seville, Jenny Lynn and Jen Gates, I saw that I needed to develop more quality muscle and shape in certain areas, especially in my legs.

Preparing for the 2008 competitive season, this was my goal:  build more shape and curves to my quads, glutes and hamstrings.  Peter and I, along with his training partner, IFBB Pro Derik Farnsworth, created a leg program that included mass building exercises and heavy shaping exercises to build more shape and curves into my lower body.  It worked!

However, since the end of 2007, and especially after the Arnold in the spring of 2008, the trends in Figure and the top physiques have evolved. The girls with a softer, more elegant look to their muscle seemed to be placing higher.  The physiques at the top are so beautiful, feminine and graceful!  I had to carefully re-assess my physique again, and further evaluate the hard-earned changes I had made over the past off-season.

Grace and Refinement:

After a few tough placings, we came to the conclusion that even a few pounds of muscle made a huge difference on my tiny frame.  I’m only just over 4’11”, so I’ve got to be careful not to appear too “thick” – especially standing against the taller, longer girls.  It was hard to swallow at first – I really enjoy weight training, but now, I had enough muscle mass and it was time to refine and perfect my look.  I needed to focus on refining and carefully shaping my physique.  The sport of Figure is an art, – balance, shape and the lines of the physique, and how you present your total package on the stage – having a polished, refined and athletically feminine look – that’s the art in the game!

My Evolving Program:

Training – a slightly different approach:

In the recent past, I trained as often as 5 days per week.  I’m pretty strong for my size, and I like weight training.  But, as my physique has progressed, I began to see the need to add more finesse and refinement to my physique, so I made some changes to my training program.  Although I still train with weights, these days I focus a lot more on the details and carefully shaping my physique, especially focusing on shaping my delts, glutes and hamstrings, rather than adding more muscle.  In order to soften some of the muscle size I had gained, I needed to increase my cardio – I needed to learn how to love the stair mill!

My new program entailed increasing my cardio regimen while dropping my weight-training down to only 3 times per week, focusing very carefully on isolation exercises for delts, and targeting glutes and hamstrings.  My marching orders also included taking care to avoid over-stimulating the muscles of my upper body.  (As an active personal trainer, I spend a lot of my day racking and unracking weights, and I’m constantly demonstrating exercises or spotting clients, so this was a challenge at times!)

For this competitive season, my training looked alot like this:

• · Cardio:  2 sessions per day, Monday thru Friday – Stair mill in the morning, treadmill in the evening.
• · Monday:  Delts, focus on feel, and shaping
• · Tuesday:  Hamstrings/glutes/ light quad work
• · Wednesday:  Light back training, width exercises only, no back thickness
• · Thursday:  Delts, focus on lateral head; up-hill lunges – 10 trips up a 25-yard steep grade
• · Friday: Hamstrings/glutes
• · Saturday: Cardio, stair mill session only (am)
• · Sunday:  Cardio, stair mill session only (am)

I’ve increased my cardio quite a bit (mostly on the stair mill) this year, to help refine and tighten my physique…trust me, climbing the stairs at a moderate- to high-intensity for 40-50 minute intervals or more will really help to shape your lower body and tighten and tone it!

Also, I routinely practice my presentation, posing and walking in heels.  We also hold regular posing/presentation clinics in San Diego to give girls of all experience levels the chance to walk on a stage, under lights, in their heels and posing suits.  In our sport, it really is all about the details, and everything matters!

Nutritional evolution:

My nutritional program this year has been very dynamic. I’ve been working closely with Kim Oddo this year and things have been great!  He routinely modifies my plan based on how my body is changing.  Here’s a typical page out of my food diary to give you an idea as to what I have been eating – (Keep in mind that my metabolism is pretty fast, and my work-day as a personal trainer is very physical, so my calories might be higher than is required for less active people):

• 7a: 4 egg whites, 1 scoop protein powder, 1/4 cup oats
• 10am:  4 oz chicken breast, 1 cup greens, 1 rice cake with 1 tsp peanut butter
• 12 noon: 1 scoop protein powder, 1 rice cake with 1 tsp peanut butter
• 3pm: (same as 10am meal)
• 6pm: 1 scoop protein powder, 1tbsp crushed flaxseeds
• 8:30pm: same as 10am meal)
• 10pm: 1 scoop protein powder, 1 tbsp crushed flaxseeds

Supplementing for high-performance:

In order to survive all of the cardio I was doing (up to two 50-minute sessions per day, 7 days per week) and still finish strong, I really relied on my supplementation program more this year.  I began using Body Octane faithfully.  Body Octane is an incredible product by MAN Sports.  It tastes yummy in my water – it’s lemonade flavored and mixes easily.  It contains beta alanine and citrulline malate, both which fight muscle fatigue and help boost endurance.  Joey Rodrigues is really proud of this formulation – and I tell you what, Body Octane works!  I use 1 serving before each cardio session; I found that my legs stayed strong, even during my high-intensity stair mill sessions.  My job is physical, so taking an extra scoop during my long days at the gym also helped keep me fueled so I could give my full attention to my clients.

For fat loss, Kim suggested several supplements, some of which I was already taking…including L-Carnitine, which is in the Body Octane too!  I also continued to take my “Sex Appeal Stack – the fat loss products from MAN Sports, Scorch and Vaporize.  Joey also suggested Yohimbine HCL – Kim agreed, so that stayed in my program as well.  As far as my other supplements, here’s what I’ve been taking:

Meriza’s supplement regimen, 2009 competitive season:

6 am:

Vitamin C, 500mg,

Multivitamin /multi-mineral,

Vaporize – 2 capsules

25mg DHEA

L-Carnitine

Digestive Enzymes

30 minutes prior to am cardio session:

Scorch – 2 capsules

Yohimbine HCL 5mg

Morning cardio / weight training session:

Sip before and during training:

Body Octane, 1 scoop

BCAA powder

Glutamine, 1 scoop

Drink in 1.5 liters of water

After cardio weight training:

BCAA/EAA capsules – 5 caps

11am:

Scorch – 2 capsules

Yohimbine HCL– 5mg

3pm: (with meal)

Digestive Enzymes

Vaporize – 2 caps

Vitamin C – 500mg

5pm:

Body Octane (2^nd serving)

Glutamine

BCAA powder

Drink in 1.5 liters of water

Evening cardio session

8pm: (with meal)

Digestive Enzymes

Vaporize – 2 caps

Vitamin C – 500mg

10:30pm (bedtime supplements)

Valerian Root

2 Lean Dreams

The Journey Continues!

It’s been a long year for me, but as a professional Figure athlete, I consider this a part of my life, so there really is no off-season and that’s ok…I’m used to it!  When I closed out last year, with a top 5 finish at the IFBB Tournament of Champions, we knew the best was yet to come.  That’s when we decided to consult with Kim Oddo.  Kim is one of the most-experienced and knowledgeable coaches in the Figure game, and has been a tremendous help to me this year.

Thanks to Kim, and to my sponsor Joey Rodgrigues and MAN Sports (and Body Octane!) it’s been a great year so far!  I feel very lucky and very grateful to have such a great support system behind me.  I’ve worked hard and worked smart all year, turning my 5^th-place finish at the Tournament of Champions last year into a 4^th-place at the Cals in May, and two top-3 finishes this year, at both the Europa Pro and the Houston Pro shows.  And, yes, earning that much-coveted trip to the big show, to the Ms. Figure Olympia in Las Vegas later this month!

It’s been a great journey so far – I’m super-excited and feel very blessed.  To me, the art and sport of Professional Figure is a beautiful celebration of what it means to be female – strong and feminine, graceful, elegant, all at once!  It’s an amazing honor to be able to stand onstage with some of the best, most beautiful female physique athletes in the world!  I cannot wait!  Hope to see you all there!

xoxo

Meriza

Featured Supplements in this Article: