In the past 35 years, no one in my home state of Texas has achieved what I have. I won the Mr. Universe title in 2011 and the World Championship in 2009, 2012 and 2013. How did I make it happen? Consistency was the key. I have been successful only because I have been consistent. I took basic movements and exercises, basic nutrition and basic cardio and made it into a lifestyle. There is no magic pill, there is no magic book, there is no secret to natural competitive bodybuilding. I just stayed consistent with simple, risk-free exercises and kept to my cardio and nutrition every day. This is where the show is won. Having the mental strength to get up every day and repeat the same thing over and over. Year after year, month after month, day after day: It truly is that simple. When you’re prepping for competition, there’s no off-season—it’s a 365-day-per-year job.

How to Use This Workout

Want to train like Mr. Universe? Start with this workout and keep at it day after day. These are basic exercises, but what makes them so unique and beneficial is contracting the main muscle being worked in the exercise before making the movement. That way, you’re not just going through the motions and moving the weight; you’re breaking down as many fibers as possible with proper posture and range of motion. For all five of the following exercises, perform four sets of 15 reps at a medium tempo, taking 30 seconds of rest in between sets.

1. Lunges

Lunges are a unique exercise that may seem easy and ordinary, but they provide great results in both toning the glutes and achieving great balance when using weights. Lunges also help you focus and prepare you to work on harder and more specific muscle sets afterward. Even when doing other exercises, in between sets you can use lunges to continually increase your heart rate to get in the optimal fat-burning zone. HOW TO DO THEM: Right before you do your first rep, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold a dumbbell in each hand. Inhale and lunge forward, keeping the torso as straight, tight and upright as possible, making sure that the front knee does not pass in front of your toes. Keep your back straight, your core tight, don’t lean forward and make sure to breathe! You can perform a complete set on one side and then the other, or you can alternate legs during the same set. If you have the space, you can also try walking lunges. This exercise mainly works the gluteus maximus and quadriceps, but the bigger the step, the more the gluteus maximus of the forward leg is recruited and the iliopsoas and the rectus femoris of the back leg are stretched. Smaller steps isolate the quadriceps of the forward leg.

2. Leg Extensions

Leg extensions are a great warm-up for the quads—the primary muscle group judges see when a competitor walks out to a competition. If the quads aren’t split and separated, then kiss your competition goodbye. Make sure to tighten your core while doing leg extensions to help maintain proper form and protect your lower back. Focus on drawing your belly button in and pulling up through the pelvis. Ultimately, tightening helps to control not only the muscles in the leg that are being used, but also the weight that they are moving. HOW TO DO THEM: Sit at the machine and grasp the handles or the seat to hold the torso immobile. Keep just enough weight on the machine that your quads are challenged without the plates slamming down at the end. Make sure the pad at the bottom meets your leg where the ankle starts, not the top of the foot. Bend the knees and place the ankles under the ankle pads. Inhale and raise the legs to as close to horizontal as possible without arching the lower back. Exhale as you lower the weight back down. Avoid hyperextension of the hamstrings by keeping your glutes on the seat.

3. Leg Press

This exercise will definitely push you to your limits because it isolates your quads, glutes, hamstrings and calves. Start with the leg press machine for a safer workout. Freestanding machines can be less effective for novices not as familiar with proper form. The machine also puts less pressure on your knees as long as you don’t lock them out and keep your feet as high up on the foot plate as possible. People with back pain who are unable to perform squats can do this exercise, however, they must never lift their back off the back pad. HOW TO DO IT: Position the back properly against the backrest on the machine with the feet shoulder-width apart. Inhale and release the safety bar, then bend the knees completely inward toward the chest, slightly past a 90-degree angle, so that the thighs touch or nearly touch the torso. Return to the initial position without locking your knees, exhaling as the legs are extended. Placing the feet low on the foot plate isolates the quadriceps. Placing the feet higher on the foot plate calls on the gluteal muscles and the hamstrings. Positioning the feet wider apart focuses effort on the abductors.

4. Lat Pulldown

In our busy day and age, we all sit at a computer (or at least sit down) most of the day. This exercise helps correct bad posture. Also, when competing, my back, hamstrings and glutes totally separated me from my competition. Lat pulldowns focus on the primary muscles of the back (latissimus dorsi, trapezius and rhomboids) while also helping engage the secondary muscles of the biceps. This creates sexy definition and that V shape for both males and females. Make sure you squeeze the rhomboids before you pull down, which will truly engage the muscle before the rep. HOW TO DO IT: Sit facing the lat pulldown machine with a straight back and legs positioned under the pads, grasping the bar with the wide overhand grip (have your hands right where the bar curves downward). Going too wide or too narrow will make it less effective or open you up to an injury. Exhale and pull the bar down to the sternal notch while pushing out the chest and pulling the elbows back. Feel the squeeze in your rhomboids as you pull down. (This is specifically helpful for scoring well when posing in competition.) Inhale at the end of the movement right before the elbows lock out.

5. Biceps Curl

Doing biceps curls after the lat pulldown targets the secondary muscle group of the biceps and allows you to attack the biceps at different angles. When you work out, all you do is tear down muscle fibers and then rebuild them. This helps get the most definition in your biceps, because it targets both the long head and the short head. Most men have skinny arms, and this exercise accentuates the male upper body and shows strength. HOW TO DO IT: Stand facing the cable machine with your feet shoulder-width apart. As a modification, you can put one foot behind you (more stable) or lift one foot with the thigh parallel to the floor (less stable). Grasp the dumbbell or a band handle with an underhand grip (palm facing up). Contract the biceps head and forearm before curling the weight up. Exhale and bend the elbows to raise the forearm. On the way up, stop the rep before the knuckles hit the shoulder. On the way down, stop before the elbow locks. Keep the muscles engaged to continually tear down more fibers. Maintain constant tension and make sure to isolate the muscle. Inhale at the end of the movement, but don’t get light-headed. Avoid swinging your elbows and rocking; it deters you from having a tight core.

5. Biceps Curl

Doing biceps curls after the lat pulldown targets the secondary muscle group of the biceps and allows you to attack the biceps at different angles. When you work out, all you do is tear down muscle fibers and then rebuild them. This helps get the most definition in your biceps, because it targets both the long head and the short head. Most men have skinny arms, and this exercise accentuates the male upper body and shows strength. HOW TO DO IT: Stand facing the cable machine with your feet shoulder-width apart. As a modification, you can put one foot behind you (more stable) or lift one foot with the thigh parallel to the floor (less stable). Grasp the dumbbell or a band handle with an underhand grip (palm facing up). Contract the biceps head and forearm before curling the weight up. Exhale and bend the elbows to raise the forearm. On the way up, stop the rep before the knuckles hit the shoulder. On the way down, stop before the elbow locks. Keep the muscles engaged to continually tear down more fibers. Maintain constant tension and make sure to isolate the muscle. Inhale at the end of the movement, but don’t get light-headed. Avoid swinging your elbows and rocking; it deters you from having a tight core.

What Do YOU Think?

Have you tried this workout yet? Will you? Why or why not? Remember, the key is consistency. How consistent have you been with your workouts? How do you plan to stay on track? Even if you don’t plan on competing, are you inspired by professional bodybuilders? Who else inspires you to work out? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Research conducted by the American Heart Association (AHA) published earlier this month has highlighted the high level of saturated fat content in coconut oil.
Over the past few years, the tropical oil has been endorsed and recommended by lots and lots of people – dieticians, nutritionists, and celebrities alike.
We know coconut oil plays a star role in Gwyneth’s Goop recipes, and that it’s the main ingredient in Gisele Bundchen's organic skin care line, Sejaa Pure Skincare. Emma Stone and Kourtney Kardashian use it as an all-natural make up remover.
Coconut oil is also a big part of Angelina Jolie’s breakfast routine, and Jennifer Anniston was once a devotee of the Coconut Diet – a low carb, coconut rich plan that is supposed to hurry up your metabolism and ignite weight loss.
Then there’s the celebrity-hyped practice of ‘oil pulling’ – where you swish coconut oil around in your mouth for white teeth and, apparently, supple skin.

The super oil has been said to have tonnes of beneficial uses – though the AHA is specifically interested in cardiovascular health, and therefore the truth about eating a spoonful rather than applying a slick as part of your beauty routine.
The report pools coconut oil alongside known baddies like “dairy fat (butter), lard (pork), beef tallow, and palm oil” as the main sources of saturated fat to be avoided to lower cholesterol and maintain heart health. The report also begins by stating that cardiovascular disease is the leading global cause of death, “accounting for 17.3 million deaths per year.”
“Because coconut oil increases LDL cholesterol, and has no known offsetting favourable effects, we advise against the use of coconut oil,” the report states.
There are lots of studies which have suggested that consuming coconut oil can boost metabolism, support immunity, ease digestion, and control weight. And while jars and jars of the stuff appear in the health food isles of most supermarkets - for the AHA, this evidence is yet to prove conclusive.
Like lots of other ‘super food’ fads, to absorb the superhero nutrients coconut oil claims you’d have to chow down on a pretty unfathomable amount.  And, in the case of the coconut, the saturated fat content would vastly outweigh any other chemical benefits.
For the AHA, the best oils and fats to include in your diet are found in “sunflower oil, olive oil, avocados, and tree nuts such as almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, pistachios, and pecans.”
But don't throw away that pricey jar of organic coconut oil just yet - here are some great ways to use it in your everyday beauty regimine. It's also a great, natural cleaning product.

One in three Australians are deficient in vitamin D. Getting enough vitamin D through safe sun exposure, diet and/or supplements is imperative for general good health and to help fight off chronic diseases.
Vitamin D deficiency is associated with a range of health conditions from multiple sclerosis to polycystic ovary disease.
You may be at risk of low vitamin D levels if you:

• Don't get out much in the sun
• Are obese (vitamin D is stored in fat, but doesn’t get out again until the fat is broken down, i.e. with when weight is lost).
• Have naturally dark skin (darker skin tones contain more melanin, which blocks the absorption of ultraviolet light) and/or cover up with clothing.
• Have very fair skin. Some research suggests that people with fair skin may be lacking in vitamin D partly due to sun avoidance because of the fear of sunburn.

Nutritionist at USANA Health Sciences, Ravinder Lilly, encourages taking some simple steps and introducing minor adjustments to daily routines and diet in order to improve your vitamin D levels. According to her, there are three key ways to boost vitamin D levels:

1. Go out for a quick afternoon walk

In winter, the sun exposure to arms or equivalent needs to be around noon and for seven minutes (Cairns) to 30-40mins (Hobart) most days spread over a week to maintain adequate vitamin D levels.
During winter the energetic UV that produces vitamin D is not around in early morning or late afternoon so it is important to get out in the sunshine during the afternoon. Take a stroll during your lunch break and roll up your sleeves or take your jacket off to allow the sun to reach the skin.

2. Eat Vitamin D-containing foods

Ravinder says  the vast majority of our vitamin D intake is made by sun exposure on the skin; eating vitamin D-rich foods contributes around 10 per cent of your requirements.
These foods include:
• Liver (this isn’t suitable if you’re pregnant or planning a pregnancy as it can contain very high levels of vitamin A which can be toxic in large doses).
• Oily fish – like salmon, sardines and fresh tuna.
• Fortified foods including breakfast cereals, eggs and milk. Full-fat milk contains the most vitamin D and that is one reason that whole milk is best for toddlers and young children.

3. Try a good quality supplement

Even low levels of vitamin D have been linked with health problems. Supplements can raise your blood levels of vitamin D if the deficiency is moderate but if levels are very low, you may need injections of vitamin D to raise blood levels rapidly. Although the sun is the major source of vitamin D, if you have a diagnosed deficiency, exposing yourself to the amount of sun needed to raise your D levels could pose a health risk.

When it comes to looking after your gut, one of the most important lessons is learning how to slow down, take time for yourself and savour every little moment.  This helps to relax the digestive system and make the digestive process easier. With this in mind, here are my favourite soothing recipes and tips to help you reach peak gut health.
As soon as you wake up and reach for your daily cup of coffee- if you want to improve the health of your gut, why not try making a delicious digestive tea instead?  Certain teas are one of the easiest ways to start the day right and set you up for a good gut day.
While tea ca help soothe an irritated gut or worried mind, coffee, on the hand, can ocassionally cause pain and irritation in the gut and, for those who enjoy coffee in latte or flat white form, the dairy can be hard to digest and lead to bloating and other symptoms of a struggling digestive system.
If you or your digestive system are feeling out of whack, here are some of my favourite gut-healing teas.

Chamomile and Lavender Tea

 

Both chamomile and lavender are natural stress relievers. They’re both lovely herbs to soothe an upset stomach, so they’re great for people who suffer from poor digestion or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
The delicate combination of these two calming herbs will settle your nervous system and simultaneously relax your digestive system.  It can also act as a brilliant tonic for the liver - so, remember this drink after a big night when you’ve had too much to drink!
If drinking chamomile isn't your bag, try having a chamomile bath to calm your body. Similarly, lavender oils and sprays are perfect for those who have trouble sleeping.

Anti-inflammatory hot toddy

Turmeric is one of the wonder foods we’ve heard so much about lately. The compound curcumin found within turmeric is the reason why. Curcumin is reported to reduce inflammation and pain in the digestive system.
Maybe you’ve tried making turmeric recipes before and you’ve noticed that it says to sprinkle on some black pepper?  Adding black pepper, like I do in this recipe, helps the body absorb and digest the curcumin due to its pungent piperine content.
Black pepper has a myriad of anti-inflammatory properties too. It’s an antioxidant and anti-bacterial.
This tea also contains ginger, which, combined with turmeric, can pacify the lining of the stomach and soothe the digestive tract. This is why both herbs are often prescribed as digestive aids in traditional medicine. Cinnamon helps balance the flavours, but also works to ease swelling after injury and lower blood sugar levels.

Weekly accountability

Ever felt like you needed a coach? We provide that. You will have one of our certified nutritionist/registered dietitians who are also certified personal trainers. They will guide you step by step every week to reach your goals. You will meet in a comfortable 1 on 1 setting where your menu and exercise plan is carefully crafted to fit perfectly with your situation. Your questions will be answered each and every week.  Our professionals cheer you on every step of the way!

In depth progress reports

To track your progress, we will we utilize top of the line technology to provide you with a comprehensive, report on your current body composition. Included in it is pounds of fat, muscle, water and a segmented analysis of where you carry your muscle tissue. Your personal consultant will be able to provide a breakdown of each section to indicate how your progress is coming along, and to explain the changes that are occurring inside your body.

Personalized Motivation

Your nutritionist and personal trainer will keep you on track. Bring a desire to reach the best physical condition of your life, and we will give you the guidelines to push yourself to make it happen.

Results

Your program will be completely focused on getting you results. Each week, we assess your progress and adjust your program based on the data provided by our medical grade body composition machine, feedback from you, and weekly measurements.

Confidence in your workouts

Have you ever felt intimidated by not knowing which machine to use to make the most of your visits to the gym? Your personal trainer will educate you during your weekly one-on-one sessions where you’ll learn exactly how to perform each exercise from your custom workouts. Enjoy confidence in your form and secure in the knowledge of the appropriate intensity to better ensure that you will get the results you’re seeking without injury.

Beginner to advanced

Your workout is written for you and only you. Taking into account your fitness level, goals, and available equipment, we write your resistance and cardio program suited for you and personal workout preferences.

Fully equipped private gym

Learn every movement on our top of the line fitness equipment. We have full lines of free weights, cables, and machines to show you every exercise on your workout on the same equipment available at your gym or in your home.

Cardio prescription

Cardio forms an integral part of any exercise program. As a part of your regular resistance workouts, we include an appropriate cardio program that lets you know how many minutes, how intense, and the best time to perform your cardiovascular workout to best maximize your results.

Know EXACTLY what to eat

Whether you’re trying to lose fat or gain muscle, food and fitness go hand in hand. As part of our program, we provide precise meal plans that let you know exactly what to eat, how often to eat and in what portions to help you get your goals as quickly as possible. Eating out? No problem. We provide a detailed list of healthier to healthiest options at dozens of local restaurants.

Start Somewhere

Wondering if we can help with YOUR goal? We can! Everyone’s fitness goals are different, and whether you want to lose 100lbs or compete in a fitness competition, we remove the confusion about how and what you need to eat. We aim to educate you so that once you reach your goals, you’re able to maintain them.

We LISTEN

Everyone has their own personal food preferences. Your meal plan is built based on your food choices, goals, and schedule to provide the most convenient, practical menu that suits your on-the-go lifestyle or provide you recipes for the family. Your weekly sessions will give you the chance to make changes appropriate to your interests, and a chance for you to give your consultant the input needed to better adjust your program to improve your results.

No Crash Dieting!

We don’t teach you to diet; we teach you how to eat. Learn our proactive approach to fueling your body that will not only prevent hunger and misery, but provide you with the tools to eat properly for the rest of your life and maintain your results once your reach your goals.

Special conditions

Have food allergies or special medical conditions stalled or outright prevented you from losing weight? Our licensed registered dietitians have extensive experience to build a program around your needs to help you confidently reach your goals.