SPOT.
TAKE A LOOK INSIDE
4. 6. 12. 16. 22. .26. 32. 34.
SPOT. Jenifer Franco Lift Like A Girl Christina Francotte Build Olympus Geo Muscle Inner Monologue Contributors
4
SPOT. THE EMPOWERMENT ISSUE #1 spot v. To watch out or assist someone that is exercising, especially when using potentially dangerous equipment. n. Someone who spots.
SPOT. is more than just a fitness publication. SPOT will change your life; the empowerment issue focuses on showing women how to be physically strong through lifting weights, but also how this physical strength filters down into other aspects of your life. Think about it. If you’re in the gym squatting a 125lbs bar you’re not only going to feel as strong as Wonder Woman, but you’ll begin to think that you can take on the world and do absolutely anything you put your mind to. Lifting weights isn’t just for men. It may seem that way in the beginning, but trust us, once you start to see those abs and glutes making an appearance, you’ll never look back. Well, unless you want to - it’s going to give you a pretty good ass after all. Maria Litizia : Editor-In-Chief
6
Jenifer Franco
NPC & WBFF Bikini Athlete & Competetor
12 . l r i g
LIFT LIKE A
Lifting weights to most women, at least in the beginning, is on the same level as playing golf or football. Or some other stereotypically male hobby. You don't know where to start – hell, you don't even understand half of the lingo thrown at you – but if men can do it, then why can't you? Yes, men may have been created first in the book of Genesis, but then people came to their senses and created a second more refined draft; woman. If women were created from taking a piece of man, doesn't this mean that we are more than capable of performing any exercise, action or generating thoughts just as well (if not better) than men?
past year, with celebrities and every day women alike taking to the internet and general media to express their thoughts and feelings on the matter. Women are slowly but surely being brought into the same light as our male counterparts, and in turn, this revelation is having an impact on how we are choosing to work out and sculpt our bodies. There are more myths surrounding female strength training and lifting weights than positives, however the reality is nothing in comparison. An unknown visionary once said, “The myth that women shouldn’t lift heavy is only perpetuated by women who fear work and men who fear women”. This couldn’t be more true, as the Now this isn’t a means of bringing up the reality of lifting weights not only creates a “F” word, but it does come into play a physically stronger woman, but a little. Feminism has had a huge push this mentally stronger one too.
A woman who is not afraid of taking risks, challenging herself and shaping a more positive and fulfilling life. When you take the historic role of man into consideration where he is the sole family breadwinner and head of house, it is easy to see where this statement comes from. Women have the capability of being truly great and considering the benefits of strength training, I firmly believe that every woman worth her fluorescent Nike free runs should be taking note. So what are the benefits of strength training on the female body. To start off with, physically, the increase of muscle and subsequent decrease of body fat leads to a higher metabolism; simply put, you’re going to burn calories a lot
quicker and do your abs and ass a huge favour. Those stairs you struggle with at work or at home? They’re now a breeze. More muscle in your limbs equals a stronger, fitter body capable of so much more. Third, and what is going to benefit you into old age, is the enhanced bone modelling to increase bone strength and prevent issues such as osteoporosis. Women, more than men, need to meet the minimal essential strain required for bone modelling to occur and ultimately for reducing the risk of fractures and bone conditions such as this. In a society where looks count for more than we would care to admit, don’t you think you should partake in exercises that are not only going to benefit you in your youth, but also into older age. I for one would love to be able to take the stairs two at a time
when I’m pushing eighty, and the rest of my Saturday OAP club are in their wheelchairs. Then we come to the mental benefits; and believe me, this has the potential to form a never ending list. Not only do you start to become as strong as Wonder Woman herself, you also develop the mental capacity for the same kind of strength. Once you start to lift heavy and increase the weight over time, you begin to think that you can take on any challenge thrown at you. The sense of belief that your body is more than capable is intoxicating. You are energized, positive and confident for the remainder of the day and as a result, you start to look at your body as something pure and clean. You make better nutritional choices and feel better for it. It’s a continuous cycle that your thought process starts to go through and this is where you begin to see the changes happening.
Another mentally empowering benefit from strength training is how you begin to see your body. Let’s be honest, none of us are strangers to fad diets, endless hours of cardio, calorie cycling and pinching Tina The Talking Tummy for a good ten minutes in front of the mirror. This, in turn, has a negative impact on how we see our bodies and forms a sense of body dysmorphia. Fad diets train us to believe that our bodies must conform to a pre-determined (and at the best of times unrealistic) set of expectations, set for us by the media. It makes us believe that our bodies will never be attractive or deemed ‘good enough’ unless they look like the girls in the magazines. You know the girls I’m talking about – the girls that don’t even look like the girls in the magazine. However this does not have to be the reality that women face on a daily basis. Strength training for woman lets us see what our bodies are capable of, instead of what they aren’t – shrinking away into oblivion – and gives us the mental strength to be able to accept, and even love our bodies for the marvel that they really are.
16
Christina Francotte Personal trainer. Business owner. All-round bad ass.
24
BUILD OLYMPUS
Why do I lift? Well why do I breathe? Or Laugh, cry, or do anything else on a daily basis? It is a habit so deep rooted in me that its very core has bonded with the fibres of my soul making me who I am... In a world where things are out of your control – my control – I feel the need to take charge of what is truly and irrevocably mine; my mind, body and soul. What is beautiful about the art of lifting something heavy, only to place it down again, is that I choose to do it because I can. To focus on things that my body – this vessel made from tiny cells all stitched together with nothing but ambition, vision and an overwhelming desire to succeed – can do, is an intoxicating feeling. Especially in a world where we are forever told to conform to a set of expected ideals. Why focus on shrinking your body when you can build Olympus from it. I was brought into this world to be somebody – not to shy away and a live a mediocre life. No one tells me how to behave, or how to look other than myself. To be saying this now after what feels like an eternity of doubting my body, my mindset, my general being … I feel as thought I have finally found myself. I know who I am. Who I want to be. This is the true me. Lifting weights teaches those willing to listen more about femininity than lipstick, high heels and Vogue ever could. It shows you how amazing you are – and can be, and a woman who knows this is truly untouchable. If a woman can change her mindset from a negative perspective to a positive one, she can learn all sorts of things about herself; how strong willed, focused and ambitious she can be, and how to go out into the world and be that way. The world is literally yours for the taking if you are only brave enough to stand out from the crowd of stick-thin Barbie dolls and grab it with both hands.
26
GEO Muscle It’s All About Form
32 Thirty reps in, ten to go. The sweat is dripping down my neck, forehead and every other pore-covered surface of my body at this point. I can feel it cooling my skin as it travels down my spine.
My heart beat sounds like tribal drums banging repeatedly in my ears and I briefly wonder why so many women still think that they can only achieve this endorphin inducing feeling through hours on end of mind-numbing cardio sessions.
I’ve never felt so strong, powerful, determined and feminine as I do now. If this is how I feel and perform after only a few short months of lifting, imagine my bodies potential and capability in a year from now.
E U
G O
IN
R E N
O MON
L
34
Christina Francotte is a business woman, personal trainer and all round motivational being at the tender age of twenty four. Her gym Crazy 4 Fitness in Wallsend has only been running for three months, yet her client base is growing at a rapid speed. She offers one-to-one sessions as well as group classes and promises a work out with results. For more information on classes visit: www.crazy4fitness.moonfruit.com
Contributors
Jenifer Franco is a twenty four year old who knows how to impress. NPC & WBFF bikini athlete, this lady is no stranger to hard work and sheer determination to succeed. She proves that weight lifting is a way of life, and will be the first person to stand up and endorse its endorphin-inducing qualities to women the world over. If you want to see more from Jenifer, you can watch her progress over at: w w w. j e n i f e r s b o d y. t u m b l r. c o m
We’ll See You At The Bar