It’s been a while since we talk Mindy. From your facebook page, you have a ton going on. Fill us in on what’s up?
Wbff
1) Can you tell us about yourself Chris. How long have you been training and what’s your background?
What can I tell you about me? One word can describe me: INTEGRITY. But, in more detail I’m your basic run of the mill type Athlete who lucky enough to be sponsored by some great people: Magnum Nutraceuticals, and Reflex Nutrition.
I work hard, train harder, and eat Cleaner. Lol, the eating Clean Part not so much. I’m blessed with a great metabolism. I’m a certified Personal Trainer, and I’ve been competing for 2 almost 3 years now.
Training wise, I’d say I’ve been training for maybe 5-6 years, again, serious training for 2, ever since I started Competing.
My Background genetically comes from Sweden, Ukraine, and Scotland. The first 2 are my father’s side, the last my mother’s. I have the Blonde and blue of a Swede, the strong back of middle class Ukraine, and the IronWill of the Scots.
My educational background comes from CanfitPro, and the Northern Alberta Institute of Technologies, where I acquired my PFT, (Personal Fitness Trainer) Diploma. And my own personal moral and philosophical background from a strong desire to be the best, to excel at everything I do. Seeing someone squat 500lbs motivates me to get to that level. Seeing someone on the cover of Inside Fitness Magazine, motivates me to get to that level! I truly love this sport and the effect it can have on peoples lives and bettering oneself and others.
2)What is your dieting approach like for the WBFF’s? Low carb? Carb cycling?
Come show time its really simple for me. 15 weeks out. Clean up the diet: Low fats, Low sugars, high protein. Its really easy, Reflex Nutrition makes clean eating so simple and tasty, and I’m there everyday!! and for High Protein Magnum Quattro has 60g and 4 different types of Protein per serving, and its PHARMAEUTICAL GRADE! 8 weeks out, No sugars, No bad fats, No simple carbs. Only Complex Carbs, veggies, and High Protein. Its all about Balance. Carbs, veggies and Protein at every meal. Last month of prep, Cardio gets added in. 30 min daily. Diet: My secret!! Lol but I sill eat carbs. And no I do not carb cycle. 
3) When you want to turn it up and get leaner, what’s the first thing that you do? More cardio? Less carbs?
First- bye bye sugar, Second- More Cardio. Abs are made in the kitchen my friend. Watch the diet and watch for Abs
4)Most guys have a hard time dialing in their low back and lower abs. Was this ever a problem for you? How did you tackle it?
Can’t say that it was. I was lucky enough to have trainers as friends before I started competing, who always told me not to neglect the little muscle groups, that most people forget about: rear delts, lower back, inner-triceps. So ever since I started working out, I’ve always made sure to hit the muscle groups most people don’t think about.
I’ve always had Abs. But I love being able to dial in my Lower abdominals. So when the time came to really TRAIN them. I did all my research first. Human Kinetics, Bio-mechanics all the good stuff on how the core really works. So I’ve really developed a system that allows me to train my abs extremely effectively without tons of boring Crunches. Here’s a hint people. Its all in the hips. Make sure you get that last pelvic tilt at the end of your leg or knee raise, just to really get that last inch of contraction in your lower abs.
As for my Lower Back. If you deadlift and do hyperextentions properly, for isolation. And then pair that with Core Training as a whole. You should be able to sculpt a lower back worthy of Christmas decorations.
5)Where can we find more information out about you?
Well after the WBFF World Champs, Mindy Karuk (Future WBFF Pro Diva Fitness Model)
and I will be starting our own online personal training and nutrition website, designed for anyone from competitors to soccer moms. More info to come!! But for now, you can check out these webpages.
Http:www.facebook.com/clazecki
http://www.modelmayhem.com/769804
http://twitter.com/chrislazecki
http://bodyspace.bodybuilding.com/Chris_Lazecki/
http://www.wbffshows.com
http://www.hardmagnum.com
http://www.youtube.com/user/ChrisFitPro
There’s strong rumors going around today that female physique icon Monica Brant has left the IFBB after 16 years to join the WBFF.
The internet can be a funny place. For about 2 years now I’ve been emailing and texting with Brian Cannone, a trainer, author and event promoter from New Haven, CT. Since we’re not that too far geographically away from each other, we’ve developed a pretty good relationship. I got to meet Brian for the first time in person at the Arnold Classic this past May. With his fantastic bodybuilding, figure, fitness and bikini event, the Fitness Atlantic just a few days away, I thought it would be great to get a inside look at what it takes to set up and run a popular fitness contest.
1) Tell us more about yourself. Who are you? How long have you been training and what are your goals and aspirations in the fitness industry?
Hi there! My name is Diana Chaloux. I am the WBFF Figure World Champion 2008, a professional fitness model and ACE/AFAA Certified personal trainer. I have been a certified trainer for 8 years and have always been an avid athlete. I had dreamed of being a figure competitor for years before I finally stopped procrastinating and decided it was time to take my fitness to another level in 2005. My first competition was the NPC John Sherman Classic 2005, I placed first in Figure D and was totally hooked on the sport. I competed again in the NPC Ronnie Coleman Classic 2006 and once again placed first further fueling my fire for this industry. I took some time away from the stage for about a year and started my own business called Destined 2 Be Fit. I came back in 2007 and went on a bit of a hot streak, I won my Pro card at my first WNSO competition, then won first overall in the FAME North American Championships for Pro Fitness Model, and went on to win the FAME World Championships in June 2008. I wasn’t ready for a break just yet though and after hearing rave reviews about Paul Dillett’s WBFF and all the incredible athletes competing there I just had to go and participate. That turned out to be a very good decision as I placed first overall in Figure and third in Diva Fitness Model! Competing at this event opened a lot of doors for me, I won a contract with Muscle Pharm and had the opportunity to shoot for several of my favorite magazines. It has certainly been an exciting journey so far and I’m excited to continue to pursue the industry and utilize my platform as a means of educating, motivating and inspiring others to achieve their fitness goals and lead a fit and healthy lifestyle! I will be competing again in September 2009 at the WBFF World Championships and am really looking forward to that experience. As much as I love the stage, my real passion lies with helping others, being able to inspire a client to achieve their goals and being a positive influence in their life is so fulfilling! I recently moved to Kansas City , Missouri and my boyfriend Micah LaCerte and I have teamed up to create Hitch Fit which is internet training, nutrition and life coaching. I’m also growing my one on one personal training business and will additionally be hosting fitness model boot camps and competitor posing clinics here.
2) How would you describe your training? First, what type of training do you find that works best for your clients? Second, what about yourself?
When it comes to my own training, I constantly mix things up. I’m not a repetition counter, I believe in being fast and efficient in the gym. I don’t waste time and sit around between sets. I keep myself constantly moving and I find that keep my workouts high intensity and shorter in duration is most effective for keeping my own body in the best condition possible. I incorporate all types of training styles and methods including supersets, drop sets, giant sets, tempo training, tabata, and I also include plyometrics into my workouts to keep my heart rate elevated.
When it comes to how I train my clients, it is pretty similar. I don’t have a set routine that I take them through. Every time they step into the gym we are going to try something different. The majority of my clients are looking for fat loss, so we train at higher intensity levels, I push them and challenge them so they get the most out of their time with me, and burn as much fat as possible during our sessions. I counsel them on their nutritional habits and other lifestyle elements which are going to affect their progress as they are trying to transform their bodies. I educate them as much as possible during our time together, I don’t want them to rely on me forever, I want them to learn from me what they need to do to get the body they want and maintain it for the rest of their life!
3) What’s your take on low carb diets? Do you use them or are you more a fan of carb cycling when you’re trying to get ready for a photo shoot or contest?
I’ve played around with my diet to see what works best for me. I am a fan of carb cycling when prepping for a show, I don’t typically do too many low carb days in a row because I can’t think straight and my workouts are not strong, so I don’t like diets that are very low carb for long periods of time. I always keep carbs in my diet even when prepping for a shoot or competition. I don’t ever go completely without them. I think that nowadays people are so confused about carbs that they are scared of eating them. I have women write to me all the time wondering why their body has reached a plateau and they aren’t making any progress, the first thing I always ask is what their diet is. The majority of the time I get a response which includes a list of meals with hardly any carbohydrates at all. People don’t realize that they need carbs and if they don’t eat enough of them they are going to sabotage their goals by slowing down their metabolism and burning up precious lean muscle tissue instead of the bodyfat that they are trying to eliminate..
4) What are you thoughts about cardio? Are you a fan of low intensity or high intensity? How do you add cardio into your clients workouts?
I am a big fan of cardio. My day usually doesn’t feel complete if I don’t get some type of cardio in. It’s the beginning to my day, it’s my time to think and brainstorm, it’s a great stress reliever, and of course it helps me maintain a lean physique. I do take one full day off per week from strength training and cardio. I mix things up with cardio as much as I do with my strength training. I get bored very easily so I have to constantly be doing something different. I will do higher intensity intervals a couple days a week, and some days I will go out for a jog or to run stairs in the park if the weather is nice. I alternate between stair climbing and elliptical trainers when I do my cardio indoors. Off season when I’m more in a maintenance mode I will do 25-30 minutes of cardio a day. When I’m training, I start with 30 minutes and then as my show gets closer I gradually increase my time and/or intensity.
For my clients, I actually prefer to give them a calorie target for the week as far as their cardio goes. I encourage them to do higher intensity sessions and a couple of longer lower intensity sessions as well. This is so that they don’t get caught doing the same thing over and over again. I set a calorie goal for the week instead of a time goal, because there are many people who get on a cardio machine for a half an hour and burn hardly any calories or barely break a sweat because they aren’t working hard enough, but they still can say they did a half an hour of cardio. By giving a calorie goal as opposed to a time goal, it is easier to make sure that they are doing sufficient cardio to aid in their fat loss goals.
5) Let’s talk about hamstring and ab training since you have great development in both. Any tips or tricks to share?
The key to my abs is nutrition, nutrition and nutrition. I will be perfectly honest and tell you that I HATE doing abs, I only do an actual ab routine about once a week, and even then it doesn’t last very long. What I do instead is incorporate my abs into everything that I do. Whenever I’m training I am always aware of having my abs tight. Whenever I’m doing cardio I keep them contracted and for example, I will do little “crunches” every time my knee comes up when I’m on a high incline on the elliptical. My abs do get a lot of work simply because I am constantly aware of them, however the main key is keeping my diet clean and being consistent with my cardio.
As far as hamstring and quad development, I train my legs very intensely. I typically start my leg routine with isolation movements such as leg extensions and curls, this is in order to pre fatigue those muscles. Then I move on to compound movements mixed in with plyometrics or high intensity cardio for about a minute or so at a time. I do leg press, squat, hack squats, weighted step ups and lunges. I am very aware of keeping a mind muscle contraction regardless of what I am doing. I don’t do super heavy weight , I keep my weight in the medium to heavy range and perform higher repetitions, I push myself to fatigue or failure. I find that these higher intensity leg routines, combined with keeping my nutrition on track and getting in sufficient cardio allow me to maintain my leg muscle and keep them lean and defined.
6) Where can we find more info out about you?
You can stop by my website at www.dianachaloux.com or www.hitchfit.com . I can be reached via email at diana.chaloux@yahoo.com
