If you would like to know more about Erin, ask here.


I'll go first...

Erin you are the fitness authority here, I would like to know what is the hardest movement to perform in Fitness?

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Women's Bodybuilding, Fitness, & Figure...

Hey Sioux!

Sorry, I completely missed this thread yesterday

But to answer your question, I think it depends on the person. For me, most of the gymnastics moves (like the flips) are relatively easy but for someone with no gymnastics background, those would probably be the hardest and scariest to learn. Out of the required elements, I would say either the one arm push-up or the pike press hold (feet together)

I think the most difficult move in my metallica routine last year was the straddle press to handstand (which was the very first element in my routine last year that I used the push-up bars for--straddle L hold, lift your butt up over your head and bring your legs up into a handstand). As a gymnast it was "supposed" to be a basic element, but I used to struggle with it quite a bit. I was amazed that I could still do it now as a fitness athlete. It requires quite a bit of shoulder and ab strength, flexibility and balance/control.

Another tough move for me to figure out was the one arm push-up. At first, no matter what I tried I could not do it. But the problem was that I was trying to do it like a regular push-up, but on one arm. After I watched a few videos of some of the pro's routines, I realized that there is a "technique" to it, and its more about balancing and distributing your weight.....After that I didn't have much of a problem anymore.

I'm trying to think up some new things to include in my routine this year, but for right now, my immediate challenge is getting my flexibility back, LOL. After spending the past few months building up my leg muscles, my flexibility has definitely decreased. But it is something that will come back as long as I take the time to work on it (which is something I tend to neglect during the off-season).

I hope that answers your question...and feel free to ask more

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Interesting you say you have lost a little flexibility. I have always found full range movements in weight training to help flexibility (of course you need far more flexibility than the average person such as myself). Are you currently doing partials or full range movements?

Do you squat to parallel only, or butt to ankles?

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To understand the movements Erin writes about above, check out her routine at the 2007 IFBB Atlantic City Pro... LINK

You'll enjoy her routine.

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Women's Bodybuilding, Fitness, & Figure...

Hey Sioux, thanks for posting.

I typically squat to just below parallel. I've had 3 knee surgeries and even though squatting usually doesn't hurt my knees, I don't want to take any chances.
As a gymnast, I was never the most flexible, but I never usually had a problem with splits....but as a gymnast my legs were pretty scrawny. Since building muscle, I've found that my hamstrings are much tighter than they used to be, which makes splits a tad bit harder. I also notice that my lower back and shoulders are tighter when trying to do things like bridges and walkovers.
I also have not actually focused on specific flexibility (like splits, bridges, ect-) during my off-season, so, just like with anything else, if you don't do it for awhile, it takes a little bit of time to get it back. It was the same last year, and i know that as my size comes down a little bit, and as I begin to work more on my routine, everything will come around....
I'm learning that everything is a process, and I must be patient with myself and not go crazy, because things will come around. I am the type of person that wants everything to be perfect first time though, LOL.

But each time I do my conditioning circuit ( just started last week--twice per week), I work on specific flexibility afterward, and I can already see and feel improvement. It's hard to explain...I do stretch throughout my off-season while I train, but Idon't focus on the specific flexibility elements that will be in my routine.

OK, so I hope that helped a little and didn't confuse you even more. I could explain more, but maybe in my next post, b/c this one is too long already

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WOW you have had three knee surgeries! Did you injure your knee as a gymnast?

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Yes, they were all gymnastics injuries, but let me clarify...
None of the 3 were major surgeries, they were all arthroscopic.

The first one was on my left knee. I had fractured my tibial plateau on an uneven bar dismount landing (hyperextended my knee on the landing). The original intent of the surgery was to put a pin in the fracture, but when the doctor went in, he saw that the bone was more aligned than what came up on the MRI, so it did not need a pin. He also saw that I had a meniscus tear that did not show up on the MRI, so he cleaned out the tear. This never bothers me at all anymore.

The second and third surgeries were on my right knee for a recurring meniscus tear that ultimately caused my "retirement" from gymanstics, because despite the surgeries, it just kept getting worse.

Part of the reason why I competed in figure at my very first show was because I didn't think my knee could handle the pounding of the fitness routine. But once I was in shape and my legs were stronger, it really hasn't been a problem at all (knock on wood). I mean, it hurts occasionally, especially if I have to run or do a lot of pounding, so I try to stay away from any excess pounding. Fortunately, heavy squatting usually does not hurt, and the increased strength in my legs has actually helped.

The most major surgery I had was on my forearm. I had "grip lock" on uneven bars, which means my hand grip got stuck, but the rest of my body kept moving around the bar, and it ended up breaking both bones in my forearm. They had to put a plate w/screws on my ulna (outside bone) to keep it together. It's still in there now, but it doesn't really give me any problems. Sometimes training biceps and triceps bother it at certain angles, but nothing major. If you notice for my routine, I only wear the wrist/hand guard on one hand...thats my bad arm, LOL.

I also have an ankle issue, but we won't get into that

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If you had a child and she wanted to get involved in competitive gymnastics, would you allow her to, or do you feel the sport is to dangerous?

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Women's Bodybuilding, Fitness, & Figure...

By the way Erin, I am home sick today, so I watched my faves the GymDogs take on the Gators .... one of the things we will ultimately launch is a program to introduce college level gymnasts to the sport of fitness. So many things to do within the RX framework!!

We are waiting to see how many Arnold Expo tickets will be provided with the booth, by the way, but you can assume that you will get either a booth pass or expo tickets from us .... so no need to purchase any for yourself.

Random Erin photo to stretch this thread to the right!!

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To answer your question Sioux,
Yes, I would allow my daughter to do gymnastics. Despite my injuries, which was more of just bad luck than anything else, I think gymnastics is a wonderful sport. My parents might think otherwise, as they sometimes wished I would have given it up and played softball or something, but they were always supportive, they just didn't like to see me hurt. It really teaches you discipline and the importance of a good work ethic. I used to train about 5- 6hours per day 6 days per week when I was in high school, so I did not have much of a social life, but it was always my own choice and looking back, I wouldn't change anything.
All sports have risks, but I think even with the possibility of injuries, the benefits outweigh the risks with a sport like gymnastics (especially if you have good coaches, which I DID for sure)

Georgia vs Florida, huh? That probably was a great meet. Did Katie Heenan compete at all for the gymdogs? I knew her way back when we were both like 8 year old level 5's, LOL.

I think promoting fitness/figure to college gymnasts is a GREAT thing! After NCAA there is really no where to go with gymnastics (and at that point, most of these women have been competing since age 6), but figure and fitness gives us a way to continue to compete without all the crazy pounding of gymnastics. I was lucky enough that i met my current trainer about 5 years ago when I was still doing gymnastics, and he told me I would do well as a fitness competitor (I thougt he was nuts )
Then when I met Jeff and watched him go through a contest prep and compete, I actually started to consider it (even though I still didn't think I'd ever be able to do it, LOL)...and now here I am. It's crazy sometimes how things work out

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Team FigureRX Athlete

I'm glad I read this thread Stephen I was wondering about the expo!!!

So sorry you're sick feel better!

AND to join in on the Erin convo.... my question for Erin: How did you make the transition from gymnastics to fitness? What got you interested?

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AllisonMoyer@allifit.com
allifit@tmo.blackberry.net

Alli--
good question

I "retired" from gymnastics in september 2005 going into my senior year of college because of a chronic knee injury. After that, I gained some weight, and was just not very happy. I was living out in Missouri, while Jeff was here in Jersey (yes, we survived the long distance thing for about a year...so hard, but we made it ), which contributed to the weight gain and unhappiness. I was working out at a local Gold's gym, but nothing serious, mostly cardio...and not all that often.

I graduated in May and moved home, and about 2 weeks after i came home Jeff and I went to see the NJ Suburban bodybuilding and figure championships. I sat there in the audience and said to Jeff, I want to do that. I think he thought I was kidding...but later that night, I e-mailed Robert (Samborsky...my trainer) and asked him if he thought I could compete. He said "of course...I've been telling you that for years", and he told me to pick a show. So I did, and I started my prep in July for the Gold's classic in October. I still dont think anyone thought I was serious until about half way through my prep when I was still going and hadn't quit. That was a crazy hard prep, because I had a lot of extra fat to lose, and was trying to build some muscle at the same time. That was the reason I decided to do figure. I just wanted to see if I could do the diet (I knew training wouldn;t be a problem) and actually get on stage.

I placed 6th at my first figure show, but just making it through the 16 week prep and getting in shape was an amazing accomplisment to me.

After that I was hooked, but I wanted to do fitness. So we planned out pretty much every detail for me to compete in 2007, and things went way better than I could have ever dreamed.

I was always very disciplined with diet and training as a gymnast, but when I first started dating Jeff, he was getting ready for his first bodybuilding show, and I could not believe how disciplined he was. I honestly didnt think I would ever be able to do something like that (I thought he was crazy, LOL). But once I made the decision, I went for it 100%.
So both Jeff and my trainer Robert are pretty much responsible for getting me involved in this crazy sport, but I can't thank them enough because I love it

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And as far as making the transition training wise....

It had been about a year and a half since i had done any type of gymnastics whatsoever when I first got back into it again last January. So I started with some basic conditioning and basic drills. I used the tumble trak and trampoline A LOT to get my body awareness back, and as I got in better shape during my prep, everything started to come back (you have to remember that I had been doing this sport since I was 6....so muscle memory plays a big role for me).
In all honesty, when I am in shape now, i am a better tumbler than I was as an elite gymnast because my legs are like 100x stronger. My old coaches were amazed with the power I have now compared to a few years ago. One coach even suggested I should come back and do gymnastics again ....not gonna happen, LOL.

I still love the sport, so its fun to go in and "play" and still be able to do things I haven't done in years.

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Oh, and one more thing...
Does anyone know where/how you can get a VHS tape made into a DVD? Are there places that do this? My college gymnastics recruiting video is on VHS, and it is basically a compilation of all of my best routines/skills, so I would love to convert it to a DVD to preserve it. And then maybe I could post some clips on here so you all could see what used to do I have a whole tape (not the one I sent out to colleges) of "bloopers" of me trying to land a double pike on floor and a 3 element flight series on beam....its actually quite entertaining

OK, enough rambling from me, i need to go to bed....someone please teach me to write short, concise and to the point answers, LOL.

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Is weight training common among female teenage gymnasts?

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Women's Bodybuilding, Fitness, & Figure...

Yep Katie Heenan is a senior now - they were ranked number two at the time that they beat Florida, ranked number one. It looks like their meet this weekend versus LSU will air on ESPN2 on February 10th (Gladiator tryout weekend).

Individual Results (Georgia competitors)

Vault: Marcia Newby – 9.825; Katie Heenan – 9.850; Courtney Kupets – 9.925; Tiffany Tolnay – 9.875; Cassidy McComb – 9.775; Paige Burns – 9.700
Bars: Nikki Childs – 9.750; Cassidy McComb – 9.800; Tiffany Tolnay – 9.875; Grace Taylor – 9.900; Katie Heenan – 9.850: Courtney Kupets – 9.925
Beam: Grace Taylor – 9.350; Nikki Childs – 9.850; Tiffany Tolnay – 9.900; Katie Heenan – 9.850; Courtney Kupets – 9.875; Courtney McCool – 9.325
Floor: Nikki Childs – 9.850; Abby Stack – 9.825; Cassidy McComb – 9.825; Tiffany Tolnay – 9.875; Courtney Kupets – 9.900; Courtney McCool – 9.950
All-Around: Courtney Kupets – 39.650; Tiffany Tolnay – 39.525

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Hi Erin

Keep up the rambling, great answers! (and also excellent questions by Sioux).

Best

Doug

PS - Sony makes a device now that allows VHS and any cam corder output to be converted to DVD. I have one and if you ask around probably some of your friends locally do too. Also if a friend has a DVD player/recorder that also supports VHS you should be able to use that.

If all else fails if you make a duplicate of the VHS tape I would be happy to give converting it a try.

PPS - I still have a strong feeling that one day you will join Tracey Greenwood in the pro fitness competitors with Ph.D.' club.

Erin ... so since Doug is here, and I spoke to Joe Bayer today ... would you like to do any shoots at the Arnold?

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lol @ Stephen - I'm here too now! The FiggieRx boards are becoming a nightly stop for me now.

As we discussed by phone.....HDPhysiques would be honored to do another shoot with Miss Riley at the Arnold! Perhaps she'd be interested in a gym shoot and showing off some of this killer lifting she's been doing lately according to her blog? wow!

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"Hi-Def Bodies in Hi-Def Video"

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Hi guys,

Well, if I do a shoot, it would have to be "covered up" (i.e. shorts and a tank top...most likely not a swimsuit ), because I will not be in any type of contest shape for the Arnold.....but I think something in a gym setting would be ok

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And to answer your question Sioux,

No, I think the majority of teenage gymnasts do NOT do any weight training, unless if it's for injury rehab purposes. I never lifted a weight until I got to college. But that's not to say we didn't do strength training...
Gymnasts do a lot of sport-specific strength training, mostly with body weight exercises.
For example, the last I knew (which they could have definitely changed it by now, because this is from a few years back), the physical abilities/strength testing to become an international elite level gymnast included
-Rope climb up and down in a piked position (feet out to the side)--timed for speed and also judged for correct form
-Pull-ups with knees in front at a 90 degree angle, and they put something across your legs to make sure you keep them up--for reps
-Half leg-lifts from an L positiion bringing toes up to the bar and back down to an L--20 in a row, timed for speed
-Handstand pushups for reps
-Cast to handstand (on bar) for reps
-Straddle press to handstand (the first element in my fitness routine) - for reps
-Handstand hold -- goal is 1 minute without hand movement
There are a few more, but these are the ones i remember...

In terms of conditioning, we also used to do a lot of plyometrics for legs. I remember during our marathon summer practices, we used to spend the first 2 hours on conditioning and flexibility drills, and then have about 30 minute break before we started the next for hours of apparatus training

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Sounds good, Erin. I'll coordinate with Stephen on a time. Thanks!

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"Hi-Def Bodies in Hi-Def Video"

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Here is an Erin "sketch" provided by her to post here ....

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That is so cool.

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Women's Bodybuilding, Fitness, & Figure...

Thanks Sioux! I think so too

It's actually a painting on the wall at my new gym (the one my trainer recently bought). The others on the wall are Alex Federov and Irina Veselova. They all came out really cool.

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Team FigureRX Athlete

Your painting on that wall came out the best and has had the most positive feedback!! It really does look like you from your routine!

Hi Erin

Include me in the list of those who feel the mural came out great.

The only thing missing is that it needs a capital S to indicate Super Erin!

Best

Doug

I, too, think that looks incredible. It even managed to capture the cute 'n sexy look of Erin's face. Remarkable!

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"Hi-Def Bodies in Hi-Def Video"

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Thanks everyone! I wasn't sure how it would come out, but it really looks like me (well, looks like me from the summer, LOL )

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I'm late getting back to this thread but thats an amazing story of getting into the sport from gymnastics! IT's funny how we all have such different stories of how we got interested in weight lifting. I mean you had to lose weight to compete, I had to put weight on because for years I was a stringbean!

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AllisonMoyer@allifit.com
allifit@tmo.blackberry.net

Are you looking forward to the Arnold, Erin?

Ever been there before?

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Hi Sioux!

Yes, I am very excited about attending the Arnold....for many reasons! This show has the best of the best on stage, and it will be very motivating for me as I go into my prep. I will finally be getting to meet some of my figureRX teammates in person (as well as some other ladies that I only know through the boards), so I'm definitely looking forward to that! And, the Arnold marks the official end of my off-season, and thus means contest prep is right around the corner...I can't wait!

I have driven through Columbus, OH on a few occasions as part of the drive from Missouri to NJ or vice versa , but no, I have never been to the Arnold before, so I'm definitely excited! I'm hoping that within the next few years i might get the honor to actually be competing, but for now, i'll take just being there

will you be going?

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Alli, it is really funny how all of our backgrounds can be so different. I don't think I've ever been anywhere near a stringbean, lol. I was "skinny" in high school as a gymnast, but I had to work very hard to maintain that look. I swear I ate just as clean for gymnastics as I do for my preps (and probably a lot less calories as a gymnast). Once I got to college and started eating more normally, I did put on weight, but normal weight, nothing major.....I was around 135 with decent muscle "for a girl," but nothing like now. I always had really big lats and small, "skinny" legs.

It's funny what muscle can do though, because I can weigh 145 now, and still fit perfectly in the same sizes as I did at 130-135 as a gymnast.

My metabolism is interesting. I put on weight very easily....I always joke that I can grow on a diet of water and lettuce, LOL...I'm one of those, "I look at food and put on weight," types of people, to the point where I even make Jeff jealous, LOL ....unfortunately I also tend to have a big appetite, so i have to keep it in check or else I can get very big...

But on the other hand, I feel like I got lean pretty easily last year as well. I didn't have to do extreme amounts of cardio, and my diet really never got that bad until the end...this was probably due to the added muscle mass which most likely increased my metabolism.

I think my biggest genetic disadvantage is the fact that when I put weight on, it goes straight to my mid-section.....what i would give to have some of the weight go to the right places

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I'll be at home watching the webcast, and updating my new board. Hope you will join us at www.siouxcountry.com

Erin,

Who is your favorite to win the Ms Fitness International?

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Do you have a favorite Erin for pro fitness? I agree with Amanda Savell's picks for the figure side, not necessarily what I would hope for but she is prob right.

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Well, I would say Kim Klein to win the fitness portion. I personally have not seen her, but I would imagine she would be back with a vengeance after the Olympia and ready to defend her title. I would also expect to see Oksana Grishina in the top 6.

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hi Erin! for someone who has never taken gymnastics, what do you think would be a good move or two to learn for a routine?


and any words of wisdom on trying out an aerial? I can never seem to take that last arm away...hahahaha...what can I say, I grew up on ice...tumbling was not my thing...my parents had to pay me to do a front somersault as a kid...

Hey Gymdiva, good to see you here on RX.

If you have a gymnastics facility to practice in, or a coach that can spot you, I think you could probably learn a front or back handspring pretty quickly. You by far would have the strength to do it, the only issue you may have is the fear of going backwards (but once you get it, its not scarey at all )

As for the side aerial, I think the most important part is making sure to get enough height off of the take off leg. Try not to rush to "aerial" part, but really push hard off of that front leg, and kick the back leg hard over your head. This should give you enough height and rotation to complete the aerial without having to put the second hand down......AND, just be brave and force yourself to keep that hand up (usually, it's more of a fear thing than anything).

I also like your idea of trying to incorporate a lot of strength elements. For the press to handstand, make sure you work on flexibility in that position (it is as important as strength for this move). Any handstand work takes a lot of shoulder strength and control....so really just practice as much as you can, because the strength is probably there, so you just need to work on the control.
Also, any handstand elements, make sure you are pushin up tall through your shoulders, and keep your core and lower back very tight (so it doesn't sag).


I could go on forever, LOL, but hopefully this was a start. My best advice is to find a coach to work with to help you with the technique. Definitey feel free to ask away though, because I would love to try to help

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The only gymnastics connection that I have in NC would be a gym called KPAC which is in Statesville, NC. The owner used to train at my old club gym in NJ...her name is Kristie Phillips. I know NC is a big state, but if you happen to be in that area, you can get in touch with her and let her know that I recommended you to go there (I haven't seen her in years...but she should remember me)
the contact info is:
704-872-2888
304 Leitz Pl
Statesville, NC 28677

If not, I know that UNC Chapel Hill and NC State both have NCAA gymnastics programs, so they may have someone available to work with you.

And if that doesn;t work out, just check in the phone book for gymnastics facilities in your area, and find out if any of them has anyone that could work with you. Trust me, its much easier to learn things in a gymnastics facility because they usually have soft mats, pits and all kinds of other contraptions to help you learn and be less afraid

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thanks so much!!! I actually have a friend that did gymnastics on up through some ranks and did some at UNC...right now she's completing her final semester of dental school so I don't have a chance of getting up with her but she did say once boards were over she thought she could teach me a thing or two...I was thinking of trying fitness this summer but the more I think about it, the more I think I'd rather take my time and wait until sept b/c I really want to do some cool strength stuff...not sure why but I like them!