Bullying – how to be part of the solution

Millions of people are victims everyday worldwide because the simple matter of being who they are, not looking like the predominant social standard.

 

 

May the gyms or training fields be other places where the stalkers can find new victims, or insist with who are already?  The answer is yes – it’s going to depend on you, trainer, this stops or corrects.

 

The bullying consists in, during a lapse of time, stalking somebody purposed to injure the self-esteem, or forcing to segregate out from a bunch of people. The agressions can be physical, psychological, verbal, sexual, social, an even laboral (mobbing).

 

The reason why you must not allow the bullying in your gym or training field is as simple as the attendants go to learn, perfect by contending themselves. So, if you detect the competitive spirit opens a chance to the aggression to the contender, you must stop the situation immediately.

 

The ideal would be your place has a clear written regardin rule (for example: bullyin is not allowed here). But the truth is that, whether a rule or not, the stalkers ever will look for the way to injure. That’s why we give you here some urgent ideas you can apply while the parties look for specialized professional advisory for healing that situation.

 

 

As a trainer:

• Have clear your behavior rules: They must be based upon the respect, they must be shown with right facts. If your pupils see you stalk, although you reprimend them, they’ll understand they have an understood permission to stalk.
• Choose carefully the ways you are going to encourage your pupil: It’s not the best idea comparing to other ones, or, if he doesn’t do the routines with the intensity you expect, the better would be asking why his performance is not the wished before disqualifying him.
• Don’t do a party with the stalkers neither the victim: More than neutral, remind them you are the leader in the room or at the field, so if they are not capable to respect themselves, they respect on you at least. You don’t have to scream it but to say it straight.
• Don’t ignore the aggression, don’t encourage it neither: Make the gym or the training field to be a kind place for everyone. But neither act like nothing happens because the indifference, in this case, is more dangerous than any kind of action due to it can get like agreement or complicity.

 

 

Against the stalker(s):

• Once you have identified who stalk, talk one by one and in private. Your message has to be clear and straight – at least inside the gym or the training field, that behavior is not allowed.
• If the Stalker(s) relapse(s), call the attention in public. The message and the tone must be exactly the same. If you can add you are not going to tolerate it once again, that could work.
• If both previous rules don’t work and your gym or training field has a written anti-bullying policy, apply the top penalty.
• Never let the stalkers join you into their party. Usually, who stalk empower when they make the victim to believe it’s not about their bunch but there are much more people beside them. When you say them you are not part of the aggression, this begins to weaken.
• If the Stalker(s) is (are) under legal age, contact the parents or tutors and explain the situation as well as your position about.
• Don’t add exhausting training routines as a punishment. The true penalty for the stalker(s) is not doing two additional sets or staying 30 minutes more but to have restricted access to the place or services you offer.
• It’s probable the stalkers cancel their membership or fee. Don’t see it like a lose – see it like an affirmative action which looks for protecting the positive experience of working out at the gym or the training field.

 

 

With the victim:

• Talk in private, let clear he must take action to block the aggressions in an assertive way, and that you don’t see any reason for he to ashame, feel fear or guilt.
• If he needs to talk to you, give the proper space and time. Remember you are the leader at the gym or training field. So, if you’re not trustworthy, who more he could vent with what he feels? Check out this guide if you need more orientation.
• It’s not enough to say “you gotta be strong”. It’s necessary to give effective, smart ideas to accomplish it. If you own the proper psychological or pedagogic resources, offer them. If not, refer the victim to specialized professional advisory – the most is free.
• Regarding the previous, never advise to respond the aggression with a larger aggression – the violence only borns more violence, and you’ll get more bruised in the end.
• Don’t revictimize – don’t expose the victim to a new aggression, in other words. Don’t overprotect, neither.
• Use the training to provide confidence and courage. But that doesn’t mean exhausting but teaching to feel proud of the achievements, understanding they all were reached based upon the own effort. It’s a very practical way to go educating on self- esteem.
• If we have recommended you not to be part of the stalking party, neither join a party with the victim. Keep in the middle but open to ssolve the conflicts breaking out between both parties.
• And don’t forget if the victim is under legal age, contact the parents or tutors to coordinate a supporting circle providing tools and resources to overcome the aggression episodes.
• If the victim decides to cancel his fee or membership, give the time and the space. Probably, he needs it to think better about the issue. Indeed, let clear the doors are ever open.

 

If you need more orientation, write us on our Twitter account or our e-mail: chulucanasgym@gmail.com

  

Required certification

A proposal to face the informality on physical training.

 

We’ve already spoke up about the apparent lack of control on the manners how the pupils are treated at the gyms of Piura. From a supervision absence in the training methodology to the anabolic-steroids trafficking, passing through an adequate psychological advisory, the issue did not interest to the correspondent authorities.

 

Meanwhile, men and women use the service ignoring if the investment they do will bring them some benefit to their life or it won’t. The appearance of a franchise in the cities of Piura and Sullana  have introduced a service that all the gyms doesn’t have – nutritionists. Although the consultations are included in the cost of the membership, this is over the most can pay.

 

A way to face the problem is the certification of trainers, but a search we did to have an interview that allows us to put this query in perspective with somebody had no results. In the other hand, the Piura Bodybuilding Federation did have summoned to specialized trainings with certification, but it’s ignored if there is an evaluation that allow to know if the learned in those courses is applied and how.

 

Despite, Piura has turned a place of this sport, and every March, it’s organized the Mister and Miss Piura contests to award the people who based on their word, and some –extra—help, have reached aesthetics and plasticity, although not necessarily good health.

 

The united, the stronger

César Campos was chosen as 2011 Mister Piura after years of continuous work for having a recognizement in bodybuilding. During the national phase –Mister Peru—he reached the fourth place in the general classification. Since 2007, Campos Works in a known gymnasium at Piura Downtown, after doing it since he was 20 in his native Sullana.

 

Before he moved looking for a better professional future, he was committed to create a bodybuilding federation in Sullana. His main concern was the lack of certification for trainers at that town. Neither the authorities, neither his most colleagues supported him because they didn’t understand the importance of the process or simple commercial envy. Join the competence and becoming one only front to demand a better labor treatment too was not well seen by the Sullana’s mastership.

 

The gymnasium where he worked in Sullana was part of the franchise that was introducing new practices in the way how the pupils are treated. Once upon a good time, we tried to have an interview with the trainer in charge to explore this issue, but we got no answer.

 

Yes, but…

This was not a difficult to talk extraofficially to other trainers. The most of them recognize that the certification and professionalization of their jobs is necessary, but very few have the money to invest in the courses, or their gyms are not interested in granting them, when the benefit is for the own business.

 

And obviously, there are who have no interest in studying and certifying because they are trainers due to labor chances. This means if they get a better job, they will quit in the long term. In Bellavista, Sullana, there is a dude who eventually works as a trainer at a downtown gymnasium. Unlike his most colleagues, he has Physical Education official pedagogycal studies, but his goal is not staying to work there but to have a job at some school. The reason why he accepted the job was to pay his studies.

 

Butt, analyzing well the issue, could this be a choice to get an official certification? In other countries (like Spain) and Lima, this is a key requirement to work not only at gyms but everywhere that requires to monitor the physical activities of people, no matter their age.

 

Before it turns a public health problem, authorities, store operators, trainers, and pupils should consider the need to assume this issue for the good of community. So, the physical activity will be really constructive and it will develop adequately one of our dimensions as human beings. The indifference to the issue won’t bring positive consequences.

 

How to help when somebody has a problem

By ChulucanasGym

The existent public pressure over a bodybuilder or an athlete in general could be as high as this person had built a brand, and that brand means achievement, knowledge, or popularity. But the problem comes in when the carácter over that pressure is applied is not ever consonant to the person playing that role, and when it happens, the reaction could be self-destructive.

When that comes to happen, the reaction of the public uses to be mixed according to the degree of sympathy or antipathy to the character, which has to born, grow, and keep many times  in a vertiginous way, responsing much to the market commandments in spite of the own processes of personal building. And the justification of many athletes is that, before everything, they have to response to a sponsor, if they have one, or adapting to the conditions a potential sponsor imposes them, if they find one. And if the person has not been prepared mentally for understanding those exigences and knowing until what point he can put a limit, the frustration, the sadness, the anxiety can manifest anywhere until blasting in different grades.

Many sports careers got frustrated when that no-return point has manifested suddenly or become public, and if the self-destructive trend was already manifested on the top of the wave, it can be stressed once it breaks and the vicious circle ends to sink who be inside it again and again.

That’s how much important the psychological assistance is key in the work and life of any athlete. However, many sponsorship programmes don’t include it and many trainers or people recognized as mentors don’t have all the tools for serving as an emotional support because they think it is not a part of the work, because they think it corrects alone, or because they are also into that self-destructive trend. And what is worst, the own bodybuilders and athletes prescind of this kind of service alleging they are not mad nor freak.

Then, the key here is breaking up that vicious circle and the work is not only bodybuilder’s or athlete’s. It also has to be his possé, particularily other bodybuilders or athletes having some clarity for detecting when someone as them begins to bring down, and could be gathering energy that can blast in the less expected moment. As this problem uses to be more common than many people think, although they don’t speak about it, we go to draw here a possibly useful protocol for you.

If somebody claims for help is because somebody needs help

A basic rule consists in differentiate between the person who needs help and the person who looks ffor help. The first one shows evident signs that his things are going wrong but prefers to keep them inside or prefers to ignore them. The second one learns that something goes wrong, like a lost ship, and he ever will be seeing who can help him from the shore for correcting the course. Get focused in this second group of people because they are who really would get out the hole.

Then, if you see that somebody seems to be in trouble, keep expectant and try that he has it in clear. A friendly “you ever stand by me” said privately will be enough at all for that person in trouble to be aware of, when he decides to step ahead, he really will have whom ststands by. Of course, don’t make them empty or diplomatic words but a real promise.

So, what to do if the person needs help and doesn’t look for it. Unless you think you are enough able to asume a whole adbisory and companion process, the best is waiting for him to change his attitude. If you still think you have to pitch him a “you ever stand by me”, do it, but don’t feel frustrated if nothing happens after the “thanks”.

If you are in trouble, look for someone who is going to say you the clear things to get it out, not who is going to say you what you want to hear and cheating you that nothing is happening.

Detect the phrases, anticipate the main topics

Very few people uses to ask for help with the “This happens to me, I need some advice” formula. Generally, the person uses to project the problem and uses a formula like “What do you do if this could happen to you.”Surely if the person uses the first formula, means his decision to face and solve his problem is strong… although this is very relative.

Whatever the formula is, the first you must do before replying is to verify if the space is right and the time is enough (see the next step). If the answer is affirmative, try to answer sincerely and briefly. Remember that, at the moment, who has the problem is the another person. Although that doesn’t remove you ccan be passing through the same too, or another different situation, it could be right you learn to respect each individual case.

If the space and the time are not adequate, act sensitively. A “It’s a very interesting question and I’d like to answer it, but would you like if we talk about it much calm?” can work, maybe underlined by a gesture meaning “it’s not good to talk here”, a warm hand on the shoulder, and a smile. Yes, all that is a powerful pain relieving.

Another thing you must consider is anticipating to that person is going to tell you. Put in every scenario, imagine the phrases he can release, and prepare answers (look below in those tips). There’s no worst feedback for that person than putting a face of surprise, devastation, or thriller.  You simply will contribute to stress the idea that he has no relief, and that’s not true – not first hand. Surely it works better if you know to keep your mind open. If not, the best will be you say a “I got it – may we talk about it later?”, and solved case.

Unlink the world, relink inside

Once you agree to meet for talking about the problem, you have to consider two things: first, having all the possible time for the person to expand; second, the place where you are going to meet has none distraction. Also, regarding the technologic hegemony, it has to be a space and time you can prescind it at the most.

It’s not a social meeting, it’s a private conversation, so while the less distracting elements you have, you could concentrate more into the issue. Consider it’s about a respectful attitude to that person, himself, and yourself. If you are going to depend on a turned-on cellphone, the best is you take it another time later, because there’s not much baffling than opening the heart and suddenly a call or a message impossible to elude break up the whole thread.

About the time, obviously look for that one when you have nothing to do. The weekends are ideal because they are ever dedicated to rest. About the place, as we said, look for somewhere that avoids the distractions and that favors the comfortability of the another person in all case, not the yours. Although our advice is looking for a place like the countryside or a beach, if the person feels more comfortable indoors, respect his decision.

The first time is for relieving

When somebody has a problem and never has spoken about it to somebody else, experiences something called catharsis or releasing the inner me. The worst you can do is to cut off this process, so let it happens without interruption. Allow that person to take confidence, relieving what he feels, going to build his story or his argument totally free until he takes everything off. That’s why we insisted on the importance to care the space and the time.

If you detect he has difficulty to do that catharsis but he wants to experience it, you could create some kind of a simple task helping to that purpose. If you learned meditation exercises, those use to be pretty good. If you don’t know both techniques, you can write us down at chulucanasgym@gmail.com for bringing you some ideas.

About your body language, what the psychologists recommend is you set comfortabily as close as you trust each one, face-to-face as well as besides. It’s important there is an intimacy environment that favors to relieve. If your degree of trust is high (especially if you’re buddies), a hand on the shoulder or an arm over both shoulders with a quiet face are amazing, so don’t miss to experience the physical contact. But if the person rejects it, don’t insist.

Listen to without judging

We said before that one of the things you must do when somebody asks your for help is to anticipate for knowing how to react. It’s not about filling with prejudges, it’s about making you stronger to provide right the required help. So, when that person begins to relieve and wwhile he does it, don’t disturb him to say if what he did or said was good or bad, just let him to do his process. Once he finishes, you can evaluate caring to be very sensitive and firm at the same time.

We said before you need to have a widest mind for facing what he has to tell you, and in this respect, consider that any controversial issue can appear in the conversation. In our experience, the probable scenarios forming very hard emotional charges for any person are: his family or economic situation, consumption of forbidden or addictive substances, some chronic health condition, stalking or violence, some legal trouble, a repressed sexual orientation, or a few conventional, extra-spor either, job decision.

It could be complicated here to say you how to react before each scenario because the problems are different from person to person. However, we insist that your serenity, your strength, your affection, and your common sense (especially) are going to be much helpful.

Advise honestly, learn to set limits

One of the most valuable things  when you expose your point of view is saying what you think honestly, not what the another person would expect to listen, if not why did he look for you? However, even when the another person has the whole intention to solve the problem, it’s probable he sets some resistance in the beginning. If that happens, don’t work on him to change his mind because it will be worst. Just expose your point of view, let him that after the conversation, to meditate himself and to take the most adequate action course.

Once both of you have nothing more to talk, close the moment naturally, friendly, happy, that the whole moment you stood feels like something releasing, not like something uploading more for you or for that person because it’s not about it.

If both of you think a session won’t be enough, arrange a new meeting for talking and hearing as the role is, but indeed, warn him of your available time for a sense of respect also exists from his own process. Remember him you will agree to listen to him, thank him for trusting in you, encourage him for stepping to solve what concerns him. This has to be clear everyway. The same thing about the personal spaces - You can’t invade  them when any of both wants so!

Don’t let for any reason that your participation turns into a dependence of any kind. That would be harming for real. One thing is the humankind and the sense of solidarity, but one another is taking advantage for submitting body and soul. Don’t allow that, and wwhen you feel that is happening, stop it and take the best decision for both, including to get out apart.

Your help doesn’t replace the professional help

As we said in the beginning, many bodybuilders and athletes prescind a professional assistance from a psychologist or a psychiatrist, just in case. But they are also clear that in many times of their life they require to have their mind healthy (as much as or more than their body). It’s that time when your help as an emotional support works right. However, one thing you must have very clear is you don’t replace the work of a psychologist or a psychiatrist, unless you are, what means a double advantage for who asks your for help. But if you are not both proffesionists, your work consists in complementing and supporting the therapies or the treatments when they are ordered.

In that sense, your responsibility as an emotional support is including into your advisory package  that the person asking you for help to attend one of those health specialists. Inclusive you could go with him the day of the consult.

So, no all the cases have to end before a psychologist or a psychiatrist, but those ones what your resources as a support and the resources of that person for healing himself are limited, when you sincerely see there is a barrier  that the simple advice is not going to overcome. That’s when one has to be brave and accepting the professional assistance.

If in your community there’s no sports psychologist, look if there are clinic psychologists or psychiatric doctors. It’s good to have their phone numbers so easy and ask for references to serious persons for the sessions to be really healing, because –it’s good to say- many mental health specialists use to be badly mad than an average guy.

Educate about, accumulate wisdom

Do you remember when we talked about anticipating to the conversation? It’s probable this step you make base don the information you already know, but how much accurate is that information? If you are who loves to read everything and to have a general culture above the average, it’s probable you get more criteria width to understand what the person asking you for help is going to say you. That affords much.

However, no matter how much you anticipate, there will be issues out of your range. It’s not your fault because we can’t know or guess all. When that happens, help inside your skills, but get committed to search and learn about the issue on reliable sources that you can find now even on the Internet. If you get that researching and educating process to be made with the person asking you for help, the better. It’s probable that both realize that the solution was much more simple to find.

Anyway, have a time and a space to continue learning about the issue that involves the person asking you for help. If possible, ask serious specialists, try to educate around you, especially your training place – you know very well it’s one of the places where the prejudges are abundant, and many times the ignorance kills more than the own problem. Even it can save your own life.

Remember you’ll help to solve a problem, not that you are going to solve the problem on behalf of the another person

As we said before, a fatal mistake when an emotional support is provided is letting the person who asks you for help to leave the whole problem up for you to solve him, or generating dependence ties through that person is not going to move a finger unless you request it. Both scenarios are not adequate nor healthy, so you have to avoid them from the beginning of the process.

A “Look – I’m going to help you as much as I can, but who is going to solve the problem is you” said friendly, firmly since the first moment is a good beginning. Never let to include this disclaimer. In the same way, when you feel that person pitches you a “Do it on behalf of me” or similar formulas, you answer with the same attitude something like “That wwas not we agreed” or “It’s like you would be Mr. Universe but I work out instead of you.”

Ever encourage the person that although you can give some tips or ideas to find a solution for the problem, its that person who has the exclusive responsibility to solve it. Don’t give up to the emotional blackmail  of “If you were my friend” or “But you said me.” Remember him and remember that every guy has freedom to take own decisions, so the success or the defeat are on their hand, not your hands, nor nobody’s hands.

What he says you is a secret

One of the requirements of any emotional support is the confidentiality. Everything talked, the way how reacted, the content of the conversation is something that must keep only between you. Nobody else has the right to know it, and it’s the person asking for help who has to decide who and how shares it to what is happening him anyway.

Even if the contact is made by social media (what is a valid possibility), never go to use the virtual public spaces for making contact or advising. Instead, use the chat, that offers some privacy, although as much as you can, the better is the face-to-face contact.

If you have to congratulate the person for advancing on the process or closing it, try to be in private. If the person, despite your caution, wants his problem to become public, is his right. Decide too if you want to get out to the open as the person who helpsbut make it whenever the another person request it to you. Never take the initiative to highlight yourself because you’ll bring down all the healing process and it will be seen as a very disgusting action.

As everytime, any doubt you have, wwrite us down at chulucanasgym@gmail.com or follow us on our Twitter account.

The ChulucanasGym founder team appears on this entry.

You can control this way if your body improves or not

By ChulucanasGym

Everyone who goes to the gym or does any type of training  is expectant about his or her progress. Have I overcome something I couldn’t overcome before, am I on the same spot when I started, or, in the worst scenario, am not I closer where I started neither?

The problem about measuring our progress is how much objectivity we put to our appreciation. In that sense, the first mistake we use to commit is trusting in the bare-eye, in what we see on the mirror, and almost never the diagnosis we get is reliable. Then, the prognosis we set uses to be wrong.

Is there any objective form to control our progress? Yes, there is. The anthropometrics is the discipline that helps us to have information adjusted to the reality on we can do our analysis and set up our strategies for improving or correcting our physical achievement. This information must be key for your and your trainer at the time to define if it’s necessary to adjust the training routine, the diet, the lifestyle in general, or everything.

Coming up next, we introduce you those key indicators you can control from your home, inclusive, and those will give you that objective vision about what is happening to your body. Look at the data you get – they can’t be taken isolated but grouped. So, the conclusions you arrive and the action plans you take will be more accurate than acting by simple supposition or guessing.

Height

This measure is basic because it serves to calculate other body measures such as absolutes, indexes, and percentages, we will talk about later. You can use a stadiometer, that is the specialized tool in measuring your height, although you can also take the job to paste a measuring tape on the wall or to paint a number scale in centimeters (or feet and inches in the U.S.) setting the ground as the point zero.

Next, take off your shoes, raise naturally, stick your body to the stadiometer or the wall column. Over 20 years old, the height is unvariable for both sexes, at least until the senescence when it can reduce because you will lose bone and muscular tissue.

Body Weight (BH)

It’s a first progress indicator, but alone is not enough because it only will say us if we have increased or have decreased respect to the last measuring. However, it offers us first clues.

The manner of taking it is as easy as put you up on the weighing machine and waiting for the reading in kilos and grams (pounds and ounces in the U.S.). What you have to be careful for sure is  how you take your weight: you ever have to take your shoes off and put on the device; don’t worry about your clothes (if sportswear) because the adding increase is irrelevant, unless you’re a professional or contesting athlete or bodybuilder, and it will be actually necessary you take off almost all your clothes or get naked for having the correct number. Of course, it will depend on how much privacy the place has and how much you trust in the one who could be with you.

The bathroom weighing machines use not to be much accurate as the clinic weighing machines that might be at every good gymnasium. Some electronic devices are only reliable as much as the manufacturer warns it so; then, read the instructions carefully before considering it as reliable and compare many readings taken with different devices to know what is the most accurate. In the same way, we suggest you have a monthly or biweekly record of your weight. Some trainers probably will demand you to have a weekly control if you’re training for a competition. Obbey them.

Absolute Body Measures (ABM)

We call them absolute body measures or ABM because they give us advance or slowing down indicators what only apply to our body as much as parts of it have got wider or have got thinner than a previous control. For that, what interests us is to have countour or perimeter measures expressed in centimeters (or inches in the U.S.), those put in a table give us a mathematical idea of your body volume. Who are dedicated to be models or bodybuilders or athletes know perfectly what we mean. However, a proffessional physical trainer will have here compplementary information to the BW  through he or she can evaluate the effectiveness of the training plan, the diet, or the lifestyle.

The best manner to take these measures  is by using a measuring tape that is put over the skin, not stretching it or releasing it too much, but letting it adjusts naturally to the shape of your body. The precission of the measure gets when the tape makes direct contact with your skin. If there are clothes between them, the excess must be depreciated or definetly avoided. Another trick, if you want more precission, is taking the measure before having meals or starting your training session. And if you still want more precission, take three measures of the same zone and then go to have the average for eliminating the excess or default error.

The measures are taken on specific areas of your body. Remember we need to know the contours, in other words you have to take the measuring tape and round each part of the body, going around it. We are not interested on lineal measures (as taken in dressing), we want to have an idea about volume. The places where those measures are gotten:

• Shoulders: Take as reference the part where it is seen more prominent and put there the start line of the tape. Then, pass it under your two clavicles until arriving to the most prominent part of your another shoulder. From here, make the tape to run over the upper part of your backuntil meeting the pointwhere the tape begins. For you to have an idea if you have taken the measure correctly, if you’re a male and you’re 170 centimeters or 5 feet 7 inches height, your shoulders perimeter should be between 118 to 120 centimeters or 46.5 to 47.1 inches. However, this measure is relative according to your age, body shape, and sport goalds.
• Chest: Whether you are a male or a female, take as a reference the part where it is more prominent (probably the nipples in both cases) and go the tape around you including your scapulas. For the women, taking this measure will be easy because it belongs to the same like the bust contour, very required in dressing or beauty contests. If you’re a 170-cm or 5’7-feet male height, your chest contour could be between 106 and 108 centimeters, or 41.2 and 42.5 inches, but we remind you the measures are relative, as we clarified you on the previous point.
• Arms and forearms: The biceps and triceps allow your to know how you are in arms, so you will have to round them at the same time with the measuring tape and take the reading. If you’re a male 170 centimeters or 5’7 feet height, it is possible your arms grow until 38 or 39 centimeters, or 15 or 15.4 inchescontour. In forearms case, take as a reference its most prominent part and put you the tape around, although this measure is almost never used.
• Waist:    In the males, it’s taken as a reference a point 3 centimeters or 1.2 inches below your belly button, and in the females, the zone where it becomes strechest, 2 centimeters or 0.8 inches above the belly button in general. Then, you take the tape around including the lower back in the case of males and the medium back in the case of women. The World Health Organization recommends the males should not be more than 95 centimeters or 37.4 inches waist contour, and the females no more than 65 centimeters or 25.6 inches, although not much because of a beauty criterion but preventing many conditions caused by the overweight and the obesity.
• Belly: In the case of women it’s the same than the taken for waist in men. Basically, it looks to know how much flat your belly is, in mathematical terms, obviously.
• Hips: In male as well as female, it’s taken as a reference the most prominent part of your gluteus, rounding both sides where the pelvic bone is more prominent, passing over your pubis. If you’re a male (and adding the squads, your genetics helps you too), it is possible you reach 102 centimeters or 40.2 inches contour if you’re 170 centimeters or 5’7 feet height.
• Thighs: It’s the section of your leg that begins in your pelvis and ends in your knee. Look for its widest part and round it with the measuring tape. Look! You have to take just one thigh per measuring, never both at the same time. If you’re a male 170 centimeters or 5’7 feet height, your thigh can be between 59 and 60 centimeters or 23.2 and 23.6 inches at least, although it’s going to depend on your kind of training. What is clear, indeed, is that for every 3 centimeters or 1.2 inches of thigh you get, your arm can not be more than 2 centimeters or 0.8 inches.
• Calf: It’s the part of your leg between your knee and your ankle. Look for its more prominent part and round it here with the measuring tape. As equal as the thigh, both calves never must measured at the same time but one at once. If you’re a male 170 centimeters or 5’7 feet height, your calf can be 37 to 38 centimeters or 14.6 to 15 inches at least. Yes, at least.

Indexes And Body Percentages

If you think it’s too many Maths for today, we have not finished yet. There are more specialized indicators those allow you to measure your progress, especially if you are in a professional or competition training environment.

• Body Mass Index (BMI): Basically, it gives us a more accurate idea if you are your ideal weight, or if you are overweight or in obesity. It is calculated by dividing your weight in kilos by your height’s square. Let’s suppose you’re a male 170 centimeters (1.7 meters or 5’7 feet) and you’re 70 kilos (154.3 pounds), your BMI will be 24.2 – it’s inside the healthy.  If it would exceed beyond 30, we could talk  about obesity.
• Body Fat Percentage (BFP): It’s a more specialized measure that, as its name says, looks for knowing if there is a healthy balance between the body fat you need for your vital functions and the fat you store to do your elective functions –we mean- as training. Here Maths are not enough but we need to use special procedures and devices for having us a reading. It is obtained by multiplying the quantity of your body fat by the quantity of your body mass and all that divided by 100. Women will ever have a BFP greater than men because some fat is reserved for reproductive functions. About percentages, it is considered that athletes go from 10% to 15% depending on the physical activity they do. A professional trainer will educate you about how to control your BFP for optimizing better your training, although will combine it with diet and improvement in your lifestyle. In fact, it is probable this catch more attention.

So, if you only trusted in your mirror, your weighing machine, or your measuring tape, you see we have to combine all this and much more in the end if we want to measure progress. And, by the way, it’s not a bad idea you feed all your data on an electronic  spreadsheet that allow you to view graphically if you improve, you keep, or you need to work harder. Yes, it’s a lot of work but you deserve it well. It also will give you more conscience about you, especially if you add some psychological advisory to see if there is any motivation problem, or something like this.

Like everytime, we will be pleased to know your questions here on the comments, or on our Twitter account, or by writing us at chulucanasgym@gmail.com

The models featured on this post are Pedro Changanaquí, Fran Checa, Alfredo Rivera, and Anderson Sandoya

Training Chulucanas Gym Style

Five lessons to gain muscle and courage.

By Nelson Peñaherrera (@nelsonsullana) / FACTORTIERRA.NET

Photos by Jhon Gomez / Chulucanas Gym

CHULUCANAS, Peru -- “Come in here,” Bruno Rosas, 26, guides me gently, pausing for a while the lobby he does to get a sponsorship.

Bruno is a bodybuilding fan and part of Chulucanas Gym Project (CG), what looks for promoting that discipline and fitness to expand healthy lifestyles in his community, and for getting that more contestants go to regional and national competitions.

One of the goals is to reach Mister Piura contest every March, and national ones in the long term.

But such goal requires much investment on effort, time, attitude and money.

Bruno has been very accomplished with the three first. He has developed some muscle and harmony, organizes a couple of hours in his schedule to work out, persevere. What lacks is money.

Bodybuilding, as well as almost competition sports, requires much money investment and Bruno does not own enough funds.

“I work whatever I find,” he trusts me.

His variable, scarse budget goes to his 18-month-old daughter as priority, then himself – working out.

Lesson 1: Warming Up. Bodybuilding is a discipline focused on highlight human anatomy by gaining muscle volume, even beyond the average, or the fact of keeping the shape not losing aesthetics (fitness).

At least across Piura, bodybuilding has begun to be relevant the last 25 years, what means gymnasiums opening for all likes and budgets.

Piura City started first, then Sullana, Talara, and so all province capital cities (Ayabaca and Huancabamba joined for the last 5 years), and more uncarefully in certain district capital cities.

The wave arrived in Chulucanas more than a decade ago, assuming it first like a rare thing, an eccentricity or just a women’s issue.

Lesson 2: Discipline. The wave touched Bruno two years ago and since that happened, he could not set free of it. In fact, this guy does not drink, smoke and he has got some emotional spot among the problems he must face daily.

In the end, everything gets out the gym every afternoon from 5 to 7.

If he had less things to do, he could give time to develop another of his skills: “singing.”

While, he is learning to do lobby, to stand up before a person and convincing to get support  for dress, supplements or relief to contest. To be right, he works like radar.

“Why not you tell him?,” he addresses to CG co-ordinator’s lawyer Jhon Gomez, 26, who started to work out two months ago.

Although Gomez was an athlete when he was a high-school student, his firstyears of university and proffessional career kept him out the sports and healthy lifestyles until he confronted himself many mornings ago, went to the gymnasium, and paid for his membership. He started training, that same afternoon.

Two days later, he was so achy that he promised in vain not to get up from his bed. Then, uncomfortability turned discipline, and as he has been involving more, he knew stories of many boys with much talent and attitude but few money.

Lesson 3: Go beyond the fearAfter working almost all day at an office, Jhon goes to . rite letters, visit (almost intercept) pottential sponsors, convince and get first sponsorship promises.

Inclusive, he has got into something it is not necessarily part of his proffessional profile: production of promo videos about CG.

He has turned as the producer of a couple of them, released on FACTORTIERRA.NET YouTube channel, those have got attention of cyber surfers in England and Scotland!

Also, Red Hit has recommended the features.

Videos are manufactured by CG. In fact, Jhon is the camraman.

Lesson 4: We all begin as novates. Harold Palacios, 22, works out in the morning and studies Nutrition at seat Sapientae University in Chulucanas at the afternoon.

Harold also prepares to contest but budget is not enough for him so he is one of CG members to be covered by sponsorships in the mean term.

Lesson 5: Working out continues after the gym. But those men not only breathe at the gym. Jhon Gomez is looking for specialists to get medical, nutritional and even psychological advisory, because he is conscious that some bodybuilding fans could hide conditions anger, anxiety management, depression or drugs abuse, just to mention someones.

“Boys not only have to get a good body but mental, spiritual harmony,” he states.

Meanwhile, CG continues to explore chances and making plans for projecting toward their community as a sport reference, looking for sponsorships, perseverating, reaching goals with satisfaction, although the rest do not understand them.

“Mom says me I’m becoming thin but the truth is clothes before did not fit me, I already can wear now,” one of the guys trusts me under promise not to reveal the name.

Will we see them contesting once?

It is a matter of time and hard work, the same key variables for getting the perfect body.

Suportt CG by writing Jhon Gomez at chulucanasgym@gmail.com

Watch its video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wieNJD9baoA&list=UUiuUwqP4GSoioUmhdR0q93Q

Translation corrected by esthefany Rodríguez. © 2014 Asociación Civil Factor Tierra (@factortierra). All Rights Reserved.