Interview with the “Girl With No Name”

I met Jackie through Straighttothebar.com.  She is an author there and has put out some quality articles.  I headed over to Jackie’s site – Girlwithnoname.com where there are some great video posts and more.

Jackie is extremely dedicated to health and fitness, and trains mostly out of her own home.   I recently had a chance to interview Jackie, take a read:

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Interview with Girl With No Name

Could you tell us a little about yourself and your strength training background?

Well, Joe, I actually do have a name!  Its Jackie.  I live in Vancouver BC Canada and have been relatively fit my whole adult life (after I got over being very bad to myself all through my debaucherous youth).  I got into it in my early 20s when I decided it was time to quit smoking for real and get on with taking care of myself.  I threw out my cigs and went for a run that day.  A gym membership followed soon after that!  I’ve been going to the gym off and on over the years but really don’t enjoy the gym atmosphere for the most part so kinda let it slip for several years.

A couple of years ago I decided it was time to do something I’ve never done before:  see my abs.  So I set out to find a way.  I started weight training at home, adding another heavier set of fitness bands or dumbbells to my home collection as I got stronger and needed them.  Now I have a pretty smokin’ set of equipment for the tiny space I live in, plus I’ve had a pull-up bar installed too.  I train every 2^nd day (with either endurance cardio or interval cardio on alternate days) and love to test myself and my strength abilities as much as possible.  I do a lot of isolation move stuff for strength but also lots of full body compound moves.  Those are great for getting a lot done in a short amount of time AND getting your heart rate jacked right up.  And yes, I met my goal!! Last November my abs appeared, upper and lower, all ripped!! Obviously I’m thrilled with the results of my efforts.

Congrats on the abs coming out!  When I check for mine, it is like Groundhog Day.  If I pull up my shirt, and my belly casts a shadow, it is time to put it away for another year.  It’s been an awfully long winter…..

Anyways, it’s not easy to get up, put the hours in during the day, have the energy to hit the gym, and then maintain a proper diet.  What is something that compels you to train?

Well, as I mentioned I work out primarily in and around my home.  My cardio is done almost exclusively on the seawall that I live near, plus the stairwells in my 21 story apartment building.  So, I really don’t have much excuse.  Its all so accessible and waiting for me (and my weight set lives in my livingroom so it stares at me day in and day out willing me to pick it up and get on with it).  Proper diet is an admitted toughie.  However, I strongly believe that its true what they say, that you can’t outtrain a bad diet.  So, I’m loathe to eat garbage while I’m doing such great things for myself with my workouts.  I like the way eating right and keeping strong makes me look so I’m not going to mess that up.

I stick to my programs pretty religiously (with the occasional allowed cheat meal, of course… I call that my ‘Metabolism Jack-Up Meal’).  It was all way too much work to get here to even think about letting it slip now. I’m fully committed and emotionally attached to training.  I don’t really have those internal arguments anymore about whether or not I’m going to train that day.  I just get up and get on with it.  It’s habit now.

I work a lot with athletes, and I read on your blog that you have quality nutrition advice.  So, for athletes, at the high school and college levels, what are some basic, realistic, nutrition pointers you would like to see them follow?

Well, Joe, I’m not a nutritionist but I personally adhere to the 300-500 calories per meal, 5 – 6 meals per day (every .5 – 3.5 hours), and always incorporate lean protein, complex carbs and leafy greens in every meal.  It works really well for me. It keeps my metabolism jacked up all the time and with meals so close together, even if I’m feeling a little hungry between, I know a meal is coming soon so its pretty easy to stick with.

We all have made training errors in the past.  What are some common mistakes you see a lot of people making?

Oh gawd. On the occasion that I do actually go to a gym to get in some exercises I just can’t do at home (like incline and barbell work), I witness so much in the way of improper form, using momentum to get the weights up and holding one’s breath on exertion.  It makes me cringe to witness this stuff.  If they only really knew that they’re likely doing harm to themselves (especially with the improper form, and not protecting one’s back or joints).

Rapid fire question time!

What do you prefer, bodyweight or gym weights?

When you say ‘gym weights’ I’m assuming you’re really asking “bodyweight or iron” because as I mentioned I don’t do a lot of training in an actual gym.  But I’ll tell you I firmly believe both have a place in a well-rounded training routine.  I use dumbbells a lot but I’ll never give up my push-ups, squats or pull-ups!!  I do prefer free weights over machines though.  But that’s a whole other conversation!!

Sounds like you have a clean diet.  If you have a favorite “cheat meal” what is it?

No, I don’t really have a ‘favourite’ cheat meal… I’d be in trouble if I limited myself on my precious cheat day to the same food every time, and I really try not to foster addictions unless they are healthy addictions like green tea (or my biggest addiction:  frozen green grapes), but I do still tend towards the healthier stuff on cheat days. McDonalds and KFC are almost unheard of in my diet and HUGE exception to my rule.  However, I have never met a hamburger I didn’t like!!  And sushi, even with all that white starchy carb-y rice is still one of my very favourite things to ‘cheat’ with.

Mmmmm hamburger!  How many days a week do you train?

Every day.  Like I mentioned, I lift one day, do cardio the next, etc etc.  I usually find one day a week to take off as a rest day.  That usually coincides with my cheat meal day, too.  If I’m going to rest, lets rest all the way!

Nice split.  I’m curious on how much time you spend in the gym everyday.  How much time is spent on cardio vs weights?

Ha ha Joe!  Sounds like I’m being asked questions already answered!! However, I will elaborate.  I do cardio for usually between 40-50 minutes a session, depending on what I’m doing that day, and alternating with weights routines that last typically about an hour on the dot.  However, once a week I do go to the gym with my training buddy and we crank away at the big boy equipment for about three hours.  We spot each other and watch each other’s form as well so its not three solid hours of lifting but it’s a pretty intense session.  I really enjoy having someone to spot for me so I can get a little nuts under the bar and at the squat rack…. stuff I just can’t do alone at home.  Its just not safe to lift stuff heavier than you can get yourself out of when you’re alone.

Whew, you made it!  Thanks for your time, any last training tips or comments you want to add?  Also, how do people check out some of your stuff?

Thanks for having me.  This has been fun.  Additional tips?  Gee, I think we’ve covered a lot here about me, but one thing I’d like to bring up to anyone interested in getting started is to really ACCEPT and EMBRACE that strength training and fitness in general is WORK. You will sweat.  Get used to it.  There’s no easy answer, there’s no trick or special potion.  It’s about working hard & eating right and being emotionally tied to it.  With regards to the hard work, seek it out, don’t avoid it.  I don’t try to find ways to make my workouts easier, I find ways to make them harder.  If I can’t feel DOMS the next day, I feel ripped off.  And with that mindset you can’t help but progress.  Without it, you’re almost certain to fail.

I do a little video blogging about fitness over at www.girlwithnoname.com … would love for your readers to come check me out for themselves!!

Thanks again Joe, I’m sure we’ll talk again soon!

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Thanks for the interview Jackie.

- Joe Hashey, CSCS -