MARK HOWERY
As a former high level athlete, I was previously very skeptical of trainers. CrossFit sounded like just another fitness scam. My perception changed when my wife started doing classes with Sandra. Her results were immediate and apparent on so many levels… so much so that I wanted to take the CrossFit challenge for myself! After getting through the initial shock to my system, I’m an official convert to BeMoreCrossFit!! In 6 months, I’ve seen my weight drop, my body tighten, my fitness levels skyrocket, and my energy levels rise dramatically. Training with Sandra has become a part of our life_ my wife & I love working out together and I can’t count how many times a week we share notes from all the ‘fun’ we’ve had at CrossFit Motiv8. We’re truly thankful for the many benefits Sandra’s coaching has brought our way!!
LAYLA WEBSTER
I started Crossfit Motiv8 in October 2009. Before that I was doing a fitness boot camp twice a week and a member a a gym for many years. One day my boot camp instructor mentioned that one of the workout we are doing is from “Crossfit”. I was very interested in knowing more about it so I searched the internet and I found Sandra’s Crossfit website. I knew right away that Crossfit is something I wanted to try because I like challenges and doing a different workout every time. I remember going to my first workout thinking I’m in pretty good shape therefore I should have no problem completing the workout, was I ever wrong! I started doing Crossfit with Sandra once a week and within few weeks I was stronger and had more endurance. Even my boot camp instructor noticed my improvement and started giving me harder workouts. Now, I train with Sandra 5 days a week and I love it! I feel and look better than ever. Thank you Sandra for being a professional trainer, but most importantly for being a friend who always motivates, challenges and encourages me to do better. I am very proud to be a member of Sandra’s Crossfit Motiv8 and I tell everybody I know about it.
CHELSEA BAZANT
I started with Sandra and crossfit after having my fourth baby and wanting my body back. I have played every sport and tried every workout throughout the years. The results that I have seen from just three times a week have been remarkable. I have blown past my goals and had to set new ones. I have lost over 30lbs and dropped several clothes sizes. I remember my first workout which I was unable to complete. I couldn’t even do a pushup or situp. Now I complete every workout including burpees and pullups. Sandra keeps challanging me therefore I am still getting results. Getting Sandras’ flier in the mail has changed my life and health for the better.
Chelsea’s Transformation – Click thumbnail to enlarge
DENITA NICKEL
Simply put CrossFit has become a way of life for me. Nine months ago I was struggling through the boredom of the gym performing the same exercises using the same treadmills and seeing the same people who all looked as unenthusiastic as I did. I did some research and came across Sandra’s CrossFit Motiv8 blog and decided it was time for my fiancé Rob and me to make a change. After our first workout with Sandra and even though I couldn’t walk properly for five days, I was hooked. The atmosphere at CrossFit Motiv8 is always positive and encouraging, friendly competition you bet, but for me it’s not about being better than the person beside me it’s about improving me, although getting a time close to the top feels pretty great. I know that on the nights I walk through the doors at CrossFit Motiv8 I will leave everything I have on that floor. I look forward to the workouts because I know they will be challenging and hard and I will sweat and grunt and make crazy faces and I admit I have contributed a few quarter s for her kid’s swear jar. But the payoff is big; by coming to CrossFit Motiv8 three times a week and following Sandra’s nutritional advice the inches I have lost, the muscle I have gained and the confidence I have makes every ounce of sweat and every ripped callous all that much more rewarding. Sandra has taught me that “I can’t” doesn’t belong in my vocabulary. I very rarely if ever say “I can’t” to anything Sandra puts forth. If Sandra thinks I can dead lift 245 lbs then chances are I can and I will. She is very in tune to her clients goals, and limits, she knows when you need the extra push to get through the most brutal work outs. Thank you Sandra for your continual praise, support and motivation you have definitely inspired me to make and continue with positive changes in my life.
ROB WOODWARD
In March 2010 I had just completed my third year apprenticeship at SAIT and I weighed my heaviest at 229 lbs. Going to the gym wasn’t working for me anymore and working on the construction site I felt fatigued and out of shape, I couldn’t even carry materials needed up the stairs on site without taking a break every couple flights. Denita suggested we try CrossFit, she had found CrossFit Motiv8 after doing some research and contacted Sandra and signed us up for a six week program. I was kind of skeptical about this type of training and also kind of scared because I was really unfit and unhealthy. I thought going to the gym had taught me all I needed to know in weight training, but I was wrong. Sandra showed us correct lifting techniques and all of the CrossFit exercises. After the first day I really wasn’t sure I wanted to come back but we went and did our first actual WOD and got our butts kicked, so hard that I didn’t finish a WOD until the third session. After the six weeks I started noticing improvements in strength and endurance, I had more energy but I wasn’t satisfied I wanted weight loss. So with the help of Sandra’s nutritional advice, nine months later and in the middle of my fourth year apprenticeship I weigh in at 183 lbs which I have maintained for five months and I can carry my 50lb backpack up the stairs 2 at a time with no break. I now complete the WOD’s lifting the required weight for most of the exercises and most importantly I can keep up with all the younger people at work on the construction site and CrossFit. I am no longer a skeptic I am now an addict, CrossFit has shown me a new way to train and Sandra is a professional and motivational trainer who I trust to get me the results I am looking for. It’s not easy and I don’t want the WOD to be easy, I want my butt kicked every time and CrossFit Motiv8 does just that. Thanks Sandra for the push I needed.
KATHLEEN BURCHELL (in red)
I am a paramedic that recently decided to try out for a fire department. I thought I had gotten myself into pretty good shape, until I tried Crossfit with Sandra. I would go to the gym, run on the treadmill, use some weights then get bored and leave. I enjoy coming to Sandra’s workouts they are different, challenging and fun! Sandra took into consideration my goals and focused the workout so that I could achieve them. Since starting Crossfit at the end of April I have improved my run time by over two minutes and made a huge difference in the obstacle course. I am faster, stronger and leaner.
BRYAN LEACHMAN
I have always been a very active person with such activities as hockey, cross-country skiing and mountain biking. But as the years have slipped buy my body has become slower and hurts a lot more. I have tried the everyday gym with no real enjoyment. But since joining CrossFit Motiv8 and its Nutrition Programs I have a new bounce in my step. Along with feeling and looking better, I have clearer thoughts and a heightened concentration level. As you enter through the doors at CrossFit Motiv8 you can feel the professionalism and the dedication to you and your heath. Your programs are designed for you to challenge you and to bring the best out in you. You and your health is the only thing that is of any concern to the staff. With such passion for your health it makes working-out easy, it did for me. Thank you CrossFit Motiv8 for giving my bounce back!
KRIS SMITH
I have considered myself to be an athlete for a long time. Then one day, Sandra convinced me to do a CrossFit workout with her. I was skeptical but thought I’d give it a try. Well let me tell you, the overhead squats were killer, I could hardly do 5 pull-ups (Sandra did 10 no problem) and my gut was killing after the sit-ups. Sandra made me realize that I was not in as good a shape as I thought I was. Sure I could run, bike, play soccer etc. but now after many CrossFit works outs, I am much stronger, fitter and more coordinated then I ever was. In addition to my own workouts, I look forward to training with Sandra as she always has something new to throw at me and I always leave feeling I have accomplished something. Sandra’s energy and enthusiasm makes you want to get the most out of your workout. She is inspirational.
JENNIFER RUDD
I have always been overweight and non athletic. I was scared to go to a gym because I did not feel comfortable with people seeing me and I did not know how to use the equipment. The first day I started with Sandra, I felt so comfortable. She was very welcoming. She showed me that I could do anything that an athletic person could do, but showed me how to scale it to my ability. Within one month I have seen great results. I feel comfortable doing all the workouts and I am not only enjoying them but I feel great during and after. Sandra has given me the encouragement to start working out and the motivation to keep doing it.
LINDSAY ALEXANDER
I have been an active member at a gym for the past 18 years and I always found it easy to stay in shape and keep the pounds off. But after 3 kids, I had hit plateau where I just couldn’t lose those last 10 pounds. No matter how hard I worked out or how good I ate, the number on the scale wouldn’t change. A friend saw how frustrated I was and told me I had to call Sandra. It was the best call I ever made! Her Crossfit program along with her valuable nutritional knowledge helped me loose and keeps off those extra love handles I thought were permanent. Sandra makes working out fun! She brings enthusiasm, energy and creativity to every workout. She is constantly challenging me to be my best and is aware of what I want to accomplish. In addition, she taught me how to eat to maximize my metabolism and energy. Today, I feel much stronger and have more energy then ever before.
Thank you Sandra.
If you are looking for the perfect personal/crossfit trainer, look no further. Sandra will provide you with the workouts to meet your personal goals and give you quick results. Since working out with Sandra, I am leaner, stronger, and fitter than I have ever been. Nothing compares to her method of training and I feel I accomplish more in one hour then I ever did at a gym. Sandra is not only very energetic she is very motivational. Often when I feel like quitting, she joins me in my workout to keep me going. Sandra genuinely cares about her clients’ individual needs and it shows in each and every one of them.
Natalie Ackles, Okotoks
I started with Sandra and crossfit after having my fourth baby and wanting my body back. I have played every sport and tried every workout throughout the years. The results that I have seen from just three times a week have been remarkable. I have blown past my goals and had to set new ones. I have lost over 30lbs and dropped several clothes sizes. I remember my first workout which I was unable to complete. I couldn’t even do a pushup or situp. Now I complete every workout including burpees and pullups. Sandra keeps challanging me therefore I am still getting results. Getting Sandras’ flier in the mail has changed my life and health for the better.
Hello, how are you? Just getting your question regarding muscle building supplements.
I am not a big believer in supplements thus I am sorry I can not reccomend them.
I am a believer in rest to let your muscles repair themselves and get stronger.
Also, here is a good article: Good Luck
10 ESSENTIAL MUSCLE MASS GAINING TIPS (by Anthony Ellis in IronMagazine.com, 2005)
1. Weight Train
Weight training involves the use of equipment that enables variable resistance. This resistance can come in the form of “free weights” like barbells and dumbbells, machines that use cables or pulleys to help you lift the weight and bodyweight exercises like pull-ups or dips.
For anyone trying to gain muscle, several things must be done. One is to train with heavy weights. Using an appropriate weight, you should only be able to do 4-8 reps. Using heavy weights and low reps puts your muscles and nervous system under much more stress, stimulating more muscle fibers, which will cause rapid muscle growth.
For maximum muscle gain, the focus of your workouts should consist of free weight exercises. Not machines or bodyweight exercises. This is not to say that you should not use machines or bodyweight exercises, but they should not be the focus of your training.
2. Eat More Calories
The most important thing that I cannot emphasize is that you need to eat to gain weight. You need to eat like you’ve never eaten before. If you are not eating enough calories, you will NEVER gain weight, no matter what you do. In order to build new muscle, you must eat more calories than your body burns off, creating what is called a caloric surplus. To gain mass, you should strive to eat around 18-20 times your bodyweight in calories. The extra calories will be used by your body to repair muscle tissue that is damaged during the heavy workouts, and to build new muscle.
Now, when I say eat, I do not mean just anything. All calories are not created equal. In other words, some types of calories are not equal to others for gaining muscle. For example, if I said that you need to eat 2,000 calories per day to gain weight, and you eat 4 bags of potato chips each day, do you think you would gain muscle? Not likely. The majority of your weight would be fat. Why? Because potato chips, like most processed junk food, contains empty, totally nutritionless calories. These foods do not provide you with the correct nutrient breakdown essential for gaining muscle.
3. Eat More Protein
Without protein, your body will not be able to build new muscle. Years ago, a higher carbohydrate and lower fat diet was the rage, recommended by professional bodybuilders and trainers. They claimed that this was the only way to eat for muscle gain. Unfortunately, the only people gaining muscle on that type of diet were a genetically gifted few. The rest just got fat.
Carbs serve mainly as energy for the body, while protein provides the necessary amino acids to build and repair muscle. For muscle growth, carbohydrates are not as essential as protein and fats. High quality protein, which the body breaks down into amino acids, should be the center point of all your meals. There are many studies that show intense exercise increases demand for amino acids, which support muscle repair and growth. To build muscle, you should try to get at least 1g of protein per pound of bodyweight.
Whether you believe it or not, the fact is: High protein diets build more muscle when incorporated with intense training. Low protein diets do not. Period. Only protein can build muscle. Carbohydrates and fat cannot.
4. Eat More Often
To gain weight, you will be eating a large amount of calories. Unfortunately, your body can only assimilate a certain number of calories at each meal. For our purposes, eating three meals per day is not beneficial. If you had to eat 3,000 calories per day, then you would end up eating 1,000 calories at each meal. The average person can only use a portion of those calories. The excess will be stored as fat or removed from the body.
To enable your body to actually assimilate and use the 3,000 calories you will ingest, you have to reduce your meal size and increase your meal frequency. Splitting your calories into smaller, more frequent portions will enable food absorption and utilization of nutrients . I always eat six meals each day, evenly spaced out at three-hour intervals.
My goal is to provide my body with constant nourishment throughout the day. So if it typically takes about 2.5 hours to digest most meals, want to be eating another meal just as my last meal is leaving my stomach. I do this because my body is constantly in need of nutrients to repair itself. I do a lot of damage during my workouts and completely stress my system. My body is trying to “adapt to the stress,” but in order to do this, it needs consistent fuel.
If I ate only three meals per day, then my body would be without nutrients for about six hours between each of those meals! This is unacceptable for skinny guys. Without food, your body will quickly begin to breakdown muscle tissue for energy.
5. Eat More Fat
If you want to gain muscle mass, you must eat enough dietary fat. Dietary fats play an essential role in hormone production, which in turn is responsible for growth and strength increases. I have never gained muscle on a low fat diet, though many people still believe that eating fat makes you fat. This is absolutely false. In fact, there is a very popular muscle gain diet that been around for years, called the “Anabolic Diet” that requires you to eat only fat! Butter, bacon, and heavy cream are all on the menu. Though quite extreme, this diet does work.
Most people are overweight because of a diet high in simple carbohydrates, not from eating fats. If your diet is too low in fat, your body will actually make a point to store any fat it gets, because it doesn’t know when it will get more. A low-fat diet will also lower testosterone levels, something we do not want when trying to gain weight. Studies have shown that dietary fat has a direct relationship with testosterone production. An increase in dietary fat intake seems to bring on an increase in testosterone levels. The inverse is also true. A decrease in dietary fat intake is usually accompanied by a decrease in free testosterone levels.
However, you don’t want to increase your intake of saturated fats. Saturated fats are what cause disease and coronary problems. Though you will always have some saturated fats in your diet, your main focus should be to increase your intake of Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs).
EFAs are unsaturated fats that are necessary for thousands of biological functions throughout the body. Because they cannot be manufactured by the body, the must be provided by your diet. These fatty acids not only help increase testosterone production, but they also aid in the prevention of muscle breakdown, help to increase your HDL level (good cholesterol) and assist in hormone production. To get your recommended amount of EFA’s, I recommend supplementing your diet with either Udo’s Perfect Oil Blend (which combines omega- and omega-6), or Cold-Pressed Flaxseed oil (which is mostly omega-3).
6. Drink More Water
To make sure that your muscles stay hydrated, you must drink plenty of water. Dehydration can happen easily if you train hard. A dehydrated muscle, takes longer to repair itself than one sufficiently hydrated.
Drinking a sufficient amount of water not only increases your vascularity (more visible veins), but it will also help to quickly remove toxins from the body. Protein generates metabolic waste products that must be dissolved in water. Without enough water, the kidneys cannot efficiently remove these wastes.
7. Take a Multi-Vitamin
There are many supplements and specific muscle gain enhancing products that I recommend using in my book, but I have to remember that this is only the 10 most important elements of a successful mass program. So, I have to keep this brief and to the point. All of the other products will help, but they are not essential. So, I will only touch on two vitamins supplements: Multi-Vitamins and Antioxidants.
If you want to gain muscle, you must make sure that you are not deficient in any vitamin, mineral or trace element that your body needs. I know many people are going to disagree with me, but I believe that in this day, we absolutely need to supplement our diet with vitamins and minerals. I know that those who are against using vitamins are going to say that if we “just eat a balanced diet. . . “, You know the rest.
Well first, eating a balanced diet is easier said than done. America is the most overweight country in the world. Most people don’t even know what a “balanced” diet is. Balanced with what Experts will continue to spout, “eat a balanced diet,” while Americans feast on nutritionless fast food and sugar.
8. Take Antioxidants
An antioxidant like Vitamins A, C, E, Glutathione, Glutamine, and Selenium are essential in preventing free radical damage, which is accelerated after the heavy trauma of weight training. Antioxidants protect other substances by being oxidized themselves. Here’s a good antioxidant blend that I also use.
9. Rest More Often
Rest is the most overlooked “skinny-guy secret.” If you don’t rest, you won’t grow. Your body does not build muscle in the gym, it builds muscle while resting!
The key to successfully gaining weight is eating enough calories, training hard and then resting. No diet adjustments will make up for lack of rest. If you train hard in the gym, then you should be resting your muscles as much as possible. If you do not give them time to rest and repair, you will not grow. Period.
10. Be Consistent
The secret to gaining muscle mass fast – CONSISTENCY.
You can have the best diet, the best training schedule, join the best gym that has the best equipment, but without consistency it’s all worthless (Ellis, 2005).
For more information, http://www.IronMagazine.com