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Oksana Rykova Profile & Stats
The biography, life, and accomplishments of Oksana Rykova
Photo via @oksana-rykova Instagram
Oksana Rykova is a fitness model and Internet star known for her incredibly toned and sculpted physique. A large following on social media gives her an outlet to promote herself and share advice to her followers.
Below is a complete breakdown of Oksana Rykova’s profile, stats, biography, training and diet regimens.
Full Name: Oksana Rykova
Weight
Height
Date Of Birth
125-135 lbs.
5’10”
05/13/1998
Profession
Era
Nationality
Fitness Model, Entrepreneur
2010
Canadian
Photo via @oksana-rykova Instagram
Biography
Oksana Rykova’s life is very much kept private, especially her early years. Her modeling career and social media fame occurred after she began to post photos online. From this, people would reach out for advice on how they too could get a physique like her. What Oksana did was take advantage of this, in a positive way, and with a desire to help others and her knowledge of health and fitness, she began drawing up plans and sharing her advice with them.
With a large following on social media, Oksana is able to live out her dream and stay healthy while continuing to sculpt and tone her amazing physique. She does all this while continuing to share her knowledge with others.
Training
Oksana is one to constantly change up her routines to avoid boredom, as well as create muscle confusion. By doing so, she always sees progress and never plateaus. Working with around a 5-6 day training plan, she will diversify her workouts and give herself a solid routine to stick to year round.
Photo via @oksana-rykova Instagram
Nutrition
For someone like Oksana, her diet is absolutely imperative. Sticking to only the healthiest and most nutritious foods, she will prioritize those macronutrients including protein, carbs, and fats to give herself the best chance at seeing real results. She does have a cheat meal once in a while, but she finds that eating more clean limits how much she wants to snack on junk.
Supplementation
While Oksana uses her own supplements of choice, it is important to know which supplements out there can benefit you as you look to tone and shred like Oksana herself. A fat burner is the perfect product to use for this will work to burn stored fat, suppress your appetite and cravings, and kickstart your metabolism to burn more calories. A quality fat burner on your shelf will allow those gains to appear in no time.
Danny Grigsby Hits The Heaviest Raw Deadlift of 465 kg (1025 lbs) In Powerlifting History
Danny Grigsby is known for dominating the deadlifts in the 125 kg weight class. However, he has now gone even further and posted the heaviest raw deadlift in the history of powerlifting. Danny competed in the 2022 USPA Virginia Beach Classic 2 event, which took place on March 26th, 2022, in Virginia. He deadlifted 465…
Kayla Rowling Profile & Stats
The biography, life, and accomplishments of Kayla Rowling
Kayla Rowling is an American professional International Natural Bodybuilding Association (INBA)/Professional Natural Bodybuilding Association (PNBA) Bikini Divas athlete born on May 6, 1993. Rowling is a 2x Natural Olympia champ, including 2021 Natural Olympia.
Kayla Rowling has also signed a multi-media contract with Generation Iron, Iron Man Magazine, and the INBA PNBA.
Below is a complete breakdown of Kayla Rowling’s profile, stats, biography, training, and diet regimen.
Full Name: Kayla Rowling
Weight
Height
Date Of Birth
135 lbs
5’2″
05/06/93
Division
Era
Nationality
Bikini Divas, Evening Gown
2010
American
Biography
On May 6, 1993, Kayla Rowling was born in Alton, IL. Kayla Rowling has a background in dance and gymnastics, and she was a college cheerleader at Northern Illinois University. She also competed in a few pageants. Her acrobatic experience helped merge her way to competing in natural bodybuilding.
When she was 25 years old, she spectated a bodybuilding competition and fell in love with the sport. Her coach, Anthony Badejo, is her most significant influence as a natural athlete.
Rowling stated that she loves bodybuilding because:
“There is so much in the world that we can’t control, but what we can control is ourselves. I believe bodybuilding gives you the opportunity to practice how to use self-control and build discipline so you can apply it to other areas of your life.
If you master yourself, then you can master anything. This is only one of the many reasons why I love it!”
Competition History
Below is Kayla Rowlings’s complete competition history.
2021 Natural Olympia Bikini Divas – 1st
2021 Pro Chicago AM – 1st
2021 Team USA – 3rd
2020 Natural Olympia Bikini Divas – 1st
2020 Pro Chicago North American – 2nd
2020 Minnesota Mayhem – 5th
2019 Natural Olympia – 15th
2019 Chicago North American Novice and Bikini Division – 1st
2019 Chicago North American – 1st
Kayla Rowling’s Training
Kayla Rowling works out twice a day. She does fasted-cardio in the morning (time varies), and five hours or more later, she’ll weight train. Rowling follows a 6-day split routine, isolating each muscle group into different days, and has one rest day a week. And her reps and sets will vary depending on her goals. Rowling stated, “My weight fluctuates a lot.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cbc_5Bcu-2W/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
In the Instagram clip above, she’s performing various dumbbell chest exercises, including incline dumbbell bench press and incline dumbbell fly.
What Are Kayla Rowling’s Favorite Exercises?
When it comes to her favorite exercises, she stated:
“I don’t have a favorite. I love them all.”
Nutrition
Regarding nutrition, Kayla Rowling said:
“My intake in and off-season is a blanched diet which consists of protein, fiber, and carbs in every meal, six meals a day, every three hours, based on my goals.”
Supplements
These are the supplements that she takes below.
Personal Life
When it’s the fall or winter, Kayla Rowling loves to read, especially books written by Robert Greene and books about stoic philosophy or spirituality. Rowling also likes drinking hot black coffee. If it’s spring or summer, you might find her rollerblading outside or at the beach in a bikini tanning, and working out – she enjoys working out outside!
WWE Legend Triple H Announces Retirement From In-Ring Competition, Details Heart Failure Scare
Triple H was a 14-time World Champion during his legendary career.
Triple H built a career in WWE that spanned several decades. He is one of the best professional wrestlers of his time but that has officially come to an end. Speaking with Stephen A. Smith on ESPN’s First Take, Triple H announced his retirement from in-ring action.
Triple H, whose real name is Paul Levesque, made his debut in 1995. His last televised match came on June 7, 2019 when he took on Randy Orton in Saudi Arabia. During his career, Triple H became a 14-time World Champion.
On ESPN, Levesque explained how he went into heart failure in September following a battle with viral pneumonia.
“I will never wrestle again,” Levesque said. “First of all, I have a defibrillator in my chest, which, you know, probably not a good idea for me to get zapped on live TV.”
Doctors told Levesque that he was not close to full strength and that he was in “bad” heart failure. This is what led to the decision to hang it u in the ring for good.
“I was nose-diving and sort of at the 1-yard line of where you don’t want to be really, for your family and your future,” Levesque said Friday. “There’s moments in there when they’re putting you out for stuff and you think, ‘Is this it? Do you wake up from this?’ That’s tough to swallow and makes you think differently.”
Triple H was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2019 along with his former group, D-Generation-X. He was known for his work alongside Shawn Michaels terrorizing the WWE. Triple H also saw plenty of success as an individual known as “The Game.”
Triple H was a staple of the company during the Attitude Era and Ruthless Aggression Era. He won the WWE Championship nine times, World Heavyweight Championship five times, and Intercontinental Championship five times. During his career, Levesque also held the World Tag Team title, along with Stone Cold Steve Austin, and European title.
Levesque still acts as an executive Vice President with WWE. He is married to Stephanie McMahon, who is WWE’s chief brand office and daughter of Vince McMahon.
Triple H was known for his shredded physique, athleticism, and personality on the microphone. He will remain a part of the WWE and will forever have a legacy known as one of the top personalities the company has ever had.
For more news and updates, follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
How To Approach Your Workouts After 40
How Your Training Needs To Change After You Turn 40
Your training method is going to be significantly different when you’re in your 40s as compared to your youth. Why is that, you ask? All the stair climbing, doing the monotonous chores, running after the kids takes a toll on the body and it starts to show after you’re 40.
To begin with, you want to stay away from people who generalize everyone over 40 and want them to believe that every individual is in the same condition all across the spectrum. The next time you hear someone say “age is just a number” – punch them in the face.
A Change in Priority
If you’re a muscle junkie, your best bet would be to build as much muscle as you can before you turn 40. Sarcopenia hits in when you’re around the 40-year-old mark. You will lose muscle naturally as you get older. While there are no health hazards associated with muscle loss, you can control how much muscle you lose, and when you start losing it.
With age, your workout intensity will drop and you shouldn’t be lifting heavy weights if you want to maintain your joint, muscle, and bone health. Focus on starting big and maintaining the muscle mass rather than trying to add on weight as you get older.
Basic Movement Patterns
Unlike most other sports, an individual can pursue bodybuilding for life. Bodybuilding also has the possibility of improving at ages when most athletes in other sports have called it quits. Don’t be surprised if you find a person who started bodybuilding at 15 and peaked at 40 or beyond.
Bodybuilding is a thinking person’s pursuit and everyone can work from the same basic set of principles. Some of the basic movement patterns that should become the cornerstone of your training are:
Horizontal push (pushup, bench press, fly)
Horizontal pull (row)
Vertical push (overhead press)
Vertical pull (chin-ups, pullup, lat pulldown)
Squat (squat, lunge, leg press)
Hinge (deadlift, back extension)
A Shift in Exercise Preference
While we agree compound (multi-joint) exercises like squats, lunges, deadlifts, presses, and rows are great for building strength and muscle mass, they can put you at a greater risk of an injury as you grow older.
Isolation (single-joint) exercises like curls, press downs, flies, and lateral raises are a much better option for people over 40 as they don’t consume a lot of energy, which means you can push yourself harder and recover faster.
Switch-Up the Intensity
Once you hit the 40-year mark, forget about hitting PRs on the bench press or deadlifts. Your workout program should have a higher number of reps. You’ll get better muscle growth in the 8-15 rep range, with less risk to your joints and easier recovery.
How would you know if you’re making improvements? Look for an improved form and a better mind-muscle connection. You should have shorter workouts and a better pump, or a better overall sense of well-being when you leave the gym after a workout.
Things NOT To Do
While we can go endlessly about the things you should be changing in your workouts after you turn 40, knowing about the things you shouldn’t do in the gym will set a better groundwork. These are the things you should avoid –
Exercises that put your shoulders in mechanically risky positions (dips, behind-the-neck presses, barbell upright rows)
Exercises that put your elbows under uncomfortable stress (elbow injuries always take longer to heal)
Ballistic or explosive exercises (kipping pullups, Olympic lifts)
Heavy barbell lifts (barbell squats, bench and shoulder presses, deadlifts)
How old are you? Let us know in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook and Twitter.
Hammer Curl Vs. Bicep Curl: Which Will Grow Bigger Arms?
Both will enhance the strength and size of your arms, but which one is better for your goals?
The ability to enhance your arm strength while increasing size is not something we typically stress about. With so many exercises to jack up your biceps and get that blood pumping through, it doesn’t seem as challenging as one would think when trying to bulk up our biceps. If anything, we stress about the amount of time spent working our arms, for like any exercise, we want to get the most efficient gains out of every workout.
This is where the debate around the hammer curl vs. bicep curl comes into play. While both are unbelievable at giving your biceps some serious attention, is one better than the other when it comes to building those gains we wish to see most?
Let’s dive into these exercises and see just what makes the hammer curl or bicep curl really effective in bulking up your biceps. From what each of them is, to the specific biceps muscles worked, and how to perform them, we will ultimately work towards our conclusion as to which of these biceps brutalizers is most effective for your gains.
Anatomy Of The Biceps
Before we jump right into these exercises, let’s break down the bicep muscle to understand just what these exercises are working. There are four muscles that make up the upper arm being the biceps brachii, brachialis, brachioradialis, and coracobrachialis. The biceps muscle consists of a long head and a short head, each serving its own function for your arm and its movements.
We will see that each of these exercises either works the biceps brachii or brachialis, which works to provide for the lifting and lowering motion of our arms, as well as assisting the forearms when it comes to lifting and other movements. Using different grips and varying resistance will work each of these differently and start to give you some great well-rounded growth (1).
Hammer Curl Breakdown
Hammer curls are a variation of the biceps curl that uses more of a neutral grip with the weight held vertically, as opposed to the horizontal direction of a biceps curl. These are a great way to work your grip strength while also putting less stress on your wrist given the way the vertical grip is held (2). As you increase in weight, you will start to protect your forearm which will prove to be effective during bigger lifts.
Muscles Worked: Long head of biceps brachii and bicep brachialis, as well as your wrists, forearms, triceps, deltoids, and traps
How To: With a tight core and stance around shoulder-width apart, grip the dumbbells and hold them vertically with a neutral grip. Keep your elbows tucked towards your torso and really work to isolate with just the biceps to get great work done. Gently lower back to the starting position and repeat for your desired number of reps.
Bicep Curl Breakdown
The biceps curl is arguably the most recognizable arm exercise out there. With so many variations and different equipment to try, this is a staple in virtually everyone’s arm day routine. Building basic arm strength will help with a number of everyday activities while also working to build around that shredded physique.
Muscles Worked: Short head of biceps brachii, forearms, and delts
How To: With an engaged core and feet around hip-width apart, curl the dumbbell towards your shoulders while keeping your elbows close to your ribs. Lower back to the starting position and repeat for your desired number of reps.
Which Is Better For Bigger Arms?
When it comes to deciding on which exercise to perform for your bodybuilding goals, it is honestly wise to choose both. Placing these in your arm day routines will prove to be a big pay off for that arm growth and increased strength. With that said, let’s break down some differences so you can make the best choice for your personal workout routine.
The biceps curl is the easiest and most recognizable biceps exercise to do. It will work to really increase strength while allowing you to cheat, although we don’t recommend that. To cheat around this exercise would be straying from form which can lead to injury, but you can still see growth with the biceps curl. With so many variations, what you get is a solid foundation to move onto more advanced curls. The biceps curl does put some extra strain on your wrists and forearms so that is something to keep in mind especially if you have a weaker grip.
The hammer curl on the other hand is a great arm exercise to target not just the biceps, but also your brachialis and other arm muscles. This will work for increased strength and stability as you move onto those bigger lifts. Since the neutral grip is easier on your wrists, these can be done with slightly heavier weight and are great for additional tactics like drop sets, which can target deeper into your muscle for that insane growth (3), all while working to get an aesthetically pleasing arm. Ultimately, hammer curls are more effective in building forearm and wrist strength over biceps curls.
Wrap Up
Both the hammer curl and biceps curl will effectively target your arm growth and really work to provide for that stellar physique you want. Both are fairly easy to learn, simple to do, and convenient while at the gym to target your biceps and give you the results you want most. Placing both of these in your arm day routine will prove to pay off in the long run as you target more than just the biceps and, when mixed with a stellar triceps routine, can show off that horseshoe shape we all know and love.
Regardless of what you choose, making sure you don’t cheat yourself is something to really look for because you will get more out of these with proper form and the right amount of weight. See where you can place the hammer curl and biceps curl into your workout routine so those bulging biceps become a reality.
Let us know what you think in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
*Images courtesy of Envato
References
Bharambe, Vaishaly K.; Arole, Vasanti; Kanaskar, Neelesh (2015). “A study of biceps brachii muscle: Anatomical considerations and clinical implications”. (source)
Lee, Julia-Ann; Sechachalam, Sreedharan (2016). “The Effect of Wrist Position on Grip Endurance and Grip Strength”. (source)
Schoenfeld, Brad; Grgic, Jozo (2018). “Can Drop Set Training Enhance Muscle Growth?”. (source)
2022 San Diego Pro Championships Results
Tony Duong wins Classic Physique at the 2022 San Diego Pro Championships!
The 2022 San Diego Pro Championships took place on Saturday in San Diego. Classic Physique competitors had a chance to gain qualification to the Olympia by winning the show. In the end, it was Tony Duong who took home the title and will not have a chance to compete on the biggest stage in bodybuilding.
Classic Physique is a division that is taking the sport by storm. It is growing in popularity because of the stars that at the top and the overall depth. This includes Tony Duong, who put on a championship-caliber performance on Saturday. Jason Strayhand and Jeremy Dutra also came in with hopes of earning qualification but still have time before December rolls around.
The full results from the show have been announced! Checkout the full breakdown of each division below along with who has earned their qualification to the 2022 Olympia!
2022 San Diego Pro Championships Breakdown
Classic Physique
First Place – Tony Duong
Second Place – Jason Strayhand
Third Place – Jeremy Dutra
Fourth Place – Damien Patrick
Fifth Place – Bartley Weaver
Sixth Place – Muhammed Alzidan
Seventh Place – Johnathan Jimenez
Eighth Place – Noel Thompson
Ninth Place – Kasey Housmans
Generation Iron wishes to congratulate all the great athletes who earned a win at the 2022 IFBB San Diego Pro Championships. Make sure to check out our full IFBB Pro results page from this year and previous years right here to catch up on any action you may have missed!
Greg has covered the four major sports for six years and has been featured on sites such as Sports Illustrated, Fox Sports, SB Nation, NJ.com, and FanSided. Now, he is transitioning into the world of bodybuilding and strength sports.
2022 Thailand Pro Results
Greg has covered the four major sports for six years and has been featured on sites such as Sports Illustrated, Fox Sports, SB Nation, NJ.com, and FanSided. Now, he is transitioning into the world of bodybuilding and strength sports.
Binge Eating – Causes and How To Overcome It
The cause of binge eating and how to get past it.
What is binge eating? Binge eating is defined as the consumption of an unusually large amount of food in a short period accompanied by a sense of loss of control. An eating disorder can lead to obesity, depression, hypertension, and many other physical and mental problems.
Overweight people give various reasons for their weight gain like having heavy bones, bad genetics or some unique disease which is limited to them but they never admit that they are binge eaters.
The Causes of Binge Eating
Self-judgment
A negative self-image is largely based on one’s shape, weight, and self-control. When an individual starts believing that they can never lose weight and get in shape, they start to take comfort in binge eating.
Mood Fluctuations
The more volatile your mood, the more you’re prone to binge eating. The reason for this is that eating highly palatable foods makes us feel better during that brief moment of sadness, happiness, loneliness, frustration. Binge eating also serves as a temporary distraction from negative emotions.
Many people also fall upon binge eating because eating acts as an escape from their current situation. Finally, there are some people who can’t tell the difference between being hungry and being bored.
Following a Barbaric Diet
There is a high probability that you know someone who got in shape for a brief period before returning to their old selves. These people can’t keep the weight off because they follow too strict a diet to achieve their goal. Once their program ends, they tend to eat everything they can get their hands on.
Overcoming Binge Eating
Eating Small and Frequent Meals
If your goal is to lose weight, you should consider switching to a diet plan where you eat 5-8 small meals in a day as compared to the usual three big meals. These meals should come at a gap of three hours.
Eating frequent meals will not only limit your chances of binge eating by keeping you full throughout the day, but it can also help you in your weight loss journey by spiking your metabolic rate. It means that you’ll be burning fat even while you’re Netflix and chilling.
A Little of Everything
While on a diet, many people make the mistake of having a forbidden food list. These foods turn into “trigger foods” in that their consumption can cause considerable anxiety and can prompt binge eating.
Instead of going cold turkey on them, you should limit them to cheat days or a couple of days a week – if your diet plan allows. Once there are no forbidden foods, you don’t have to worry about random binge eating encounters.
Join a Physical Activity
Don’t worry, we’re not asking you to get a gym membership or train for a marathon. Research shows that working out for at least three days a week can help improve and maintain your health.
When you put in the effort to improve your physique, you’re less likely to let that hard work go to waste by picking up a donut with the coffee. Make a list of physical activities that bring you some pleasure and follow them for at least three days a week.
What is your favorite cheat meal? Let us know in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook and Twitter.
2022 Caribbean Grand Prix Bermuda Pro Results
Here are the full results from the 2022 Caribbean Grand Prix Bermuda Pro!
The 2022 Caribbean Grand Prix Bermuda Pro took place over the weekend with athletes looking for qualification to the 2022 Olympia. Hamilton, Bermuda was the place where Bikini and Wellness competitors got a chance to show what they can do. It was highlighted by victories from Eli Fernandez in Bikini and Barbara Cesar in Wellness.
Casey DeLong highlighted a small group of Wellness competitors in this event. She competed at both the 2021 Olympia and 2022 Arnold Classic. They both ended in top-10 finishes setting up for a big 2022 season. Lorena Ragusa were also considered contenders in this small but talented division.
In Bikini, it was Alessia Facchin who was expected to perform well. She finished sixth at the Arnold Classic at the beginning of March. This would give her a chance to compete at the Olympia and test her physique against some of the best in the world.
The full results from the show have been announced. Checkout the full breakdown from the show below and find out who earned qualification to the Olympia!
2022 Caribbean Grand Prix Bermuda Pro: All Division Winners
Bikini: Eli Fernandez
Wellness: Barbara Cesar
2022 Caribbean Grand Prix Bermuda Pro Breakdown
Bikini
First Place – Eli Fernandez
Second Place – Ashlyn Little
Third Place – Alessia Facchin
Fourth Place – Elisangela Angell
Fifth Place – Nittaya Kongthun
Sixth Place – Samantha Kucera
Wellness
First Place – Barbara Cesar
Second Place – Lorena Ragusa
Third Place – Mariela Peres Carvalho
Fourth Place – Casey DeLong
Fifth Place – Nerilde Garcia Strey
Sixth Place – Celeste Morales
2022 Caribbean Grand Prix Bermuda Pro Official Scorecards
Generation Iron wishes to congratulate all the great athletes who earned a win at the IFBB Caribbean Grand Prix Pro. Make sure to check out our full IFBB Pro results page from this year and previous years right here to catch up on any action you may have missed!