Does scale weight matter? Coach Mariah sets the record straight

Reveal #810 made a bikini competition her 12 Week RVX Group Training Goal - and she knocked it out of the park! Congratulations to both her and Coach Nicole! Click here to see her 'Before' picture and more outtakes from her special day!

So what was her scale weight, you ask?

Answer: It doesn't matter.

If that answer is confusing to you, like so many of the confusing things personal trainers say, then this blog post is for you! Coach Mariah sets the record straight on scale weight: when it matters (sometimes it's one of the most important numbers we have!) and when it doesn't (in some cases it's totally irrelevant and worthless!). Ok now you're super confused, right?! If so, then read on...


Scale Weight 101, by Coach Mariah


"Scale weight does NOT matter!" I said the other day to a client.

The client sat there are stared at me, flabbergasted. For weeks I have been harping on him about his scale weight and there I was saying it didn't matter.

Seeing that this man was confused, I stood there and considered what I was about to say.

After 10 years coaching RVX Transformations and RVX Reveals, I recognize that I sometimes just assume that people understand the confusing things that pop out of my mouth. I get impatient with them not following my logic. (Yes, dear reader, I realize that impatience is my biggest weakness. It's also my biggest GIFT, propelling me to coach dramatic Reveals and Transformations season after season, year after year. But so you know, I have HEARD your feedback on this character flaw and, as soon as the build-out is finished on the new RVX building I will be coaching 1 hour nutrition seminars every Saturday from 9 - 10 am Austin time (after the RVX Community Workout) which will be pod-cast and downloadable from our new website, revex.com for our internet audience. There will be question & answer period so I can explain RevEx logic on different positions, tricks, tips and tools that don't make sense to clients at first blush. This way you'll no longer have to deal with confusing one-liners from Coach Mariah or call Coach Gabe to figure out what the heck I just said. But I digress.)

With this man sitting there waiting for my response, I realized I needed to step back and explain the logic that got me to my conclusion - step by step.

"Read the blog tomorrow morning," I said. "I will explain and you'll get it."

So here it, the steps in my logic that got me to the conclusion - written up on the board like we did in high school math class - so you can see how I got to the solution: that scale weight does matter - sometimes. But how what when where why? Hopefully after reading this you, too, will have these connections hard-wired into your brain (like they are in mine) so that next time I say, "scale weight doesn't matter!" in the same breath as, "what's your scale weight?" you'll know why.

Onward.

Scale Weight 101

"Scale weight doesn't matter" is one of the most confusing things trainers say.

What they should say is this: "Scale weight doesn't matter RELATIVE TO OTHER PEOPLE. It absolutely DOES matter relative to YOURSELF."

Case in point.

There is a RVX client who WON'T tell anyone her scale weight - because it's well over what most men weigh.

I told her this was silly. She's tall and has a high lean body mass. "Scale weight doesn't matter," I said to her when she started the program.

But then when she was down 9 lbs in 2 weeks this past week and I congratulated her on her HUGE drop and she said, "Wait I thought scale weight doesn't matter?"

Here is why I said seemingly contradictory things.

Your scale weight matters relative to YOU. YOUR lean body mass (the weight of everything on you BESIDES fat) will NOT increase much over the course of three months (you're lucky if you gain a pound of muscle). It will also NOT increase much over the course of ten years (I have a TON more muscle now than I did ten years ago but my lean body mass has only increased by about 5 or 6 lbs). So your scale weight is a GREAT indicator of how FAT you ARE or AREN'T. YOU can and SHOULD monitor your scale weight as a GREAT indicator of whether or not your are losing FAT.

But your scale weight does NOT matter relative to OTHER PEOPLE - EVER.

I will use the RVX Coaches as examples to make my point (thanks guys).

Me at 155 lbs

When I personally am RIPPED for a photo shoot or competition, I weight about 150 lbs - more than some guys and WAY more than you think a bikini model should!! So I am one of those girls you always hear about with a high lean body mass.

Me at 150 lbs

But let's say I weight 165 or, God forbid, 170 and I start dieting for a competition. If, two weeks later I still weigh 170 - I have a problem. No, I am not putting on muscle (it takes months to make major gains that will actually show up on the scale, as I said above). And no, I am not bloated (unless I weighed 165 yesterday and 170 today - in which case yeah maybe I'm bloated but it stands to reason I'll be right back down to 165 tomorrow). So my trainers (RVX Coach Kevan and WBFF pro-figure coach Kim Oddo) have every right to lay into me about my scale weight. Because MY scale weight matters relative to ME.


Now let's use an example where my scale weight DOESN'T matter.

Coach Nicole weighs about 122 when she is in a competition or a photo shoot (she actually feels she gets too shredded so she is going to stop water manipulating and try for 125 next competition).

Coach Nicole in the center between RVX Angels at 122 lbs
(She thinks she got too shredded so she is not going to manipulate her water next time, shooting instead for 125 lbs)

If Nicole and I stand on stage together - Nicole at 125, Mariah at 150 - but we have the same PERCENTAGE OF BODYFAT, well then... I'M GOING TO LOOK BETTER HANDS DOWN!!!

Ok ok so maybe Nicole is going to look better than me (she is - she is after all our head coach of the RVX Elite Bikini & Physique Team so she had BETTER look better than me! But I can still fight for the honor can't I?! lol). But in this is instance if I were to say, "Oh my gosh I weigh 150 and Nicole weighs 125 I am SO FAT!" I would be WRONG. If we are both 10% bodyfat, then it would be silly for me to be EMBARRASSED about the fact that I weight 150 and Nicole weighs 125. Rather I should be bragging: I have a higher lean body mass so therefore I get to eat more, my muscles are going to pop more, and I am going to have a higher metabolism. Take that Coach Nicole!

Here is another even better example of comparing your scale weight to someone else's (or, as Coach Eric likes to call it, comparing water and gasoline). Here is Coach Sheryl at 150 lbs, 10.5 weeks out from her upcoming photo shoot & competition.

Coach Sheryl at 150 lbs

Coach Sheryl and I are approximately the SAME height. So why will Coach Sheryl weigh 140 on stage when I will weigh 150? Well that's just a matter of build. Coach Sheryl has this exquisite long, lean build to her - a graceful, gorgeous gazelle-like physicality reminiscent of a dancer. By rounding out her shoulder caps and adding a little oomph to her bootay she has effectively maximized - and made darn near perfect - the physique God has blessed her with.

My build is stockier, even at 5'9" - more like a gymnast - or, as the industry stands right now, a Pro Figure competitor, who are typically stockier, gymnast-like girls who have effectively elongated their physique through the trick of proper training, making them look graceful, athletic and balanced. Which is partly why Coach Sheryl's goal is to be a nationally recognized fitness model - who typically have physiques like what you see above, ie absolutely perfect. Meanwhile my goal is to be a WBFF Champion, whose physiques are typically more like mine, and more what you would see in a typical muscle magazine - but perhaps too much for the general public. Coach Sheryl and I are both classic examples of 'working with (and PERFECTING!) what God gave us'. Take what you got & work with it - don't waste time wishing you had a body like the girl next to you make yours the best it can be - it's what it's all about, right?!.

So again - same height, same bodyfat percentage - but Coach Sheryl will likely WEIGH 10 lbs less than me on stage. Different build, different bone density, organ size and so on. (Although anyone who knows her would VIRULENTLY disagree that I have a bigger heart that Coach Sheryl, one of the most thoughtful, sweetest, inspiring women on the planet and a GOD-SEND to all us fitness chics out there in need of INSPIRATION on a DAILY BASIS!!).

So if scale weight DOESN'T matter in the above examples, then what DOES matter??!

Bodyfat percentage.

For women:

• 8 - 10% is only appropriate for a figure competitor (and it is only held for a day or two),
  
• 10 - 12% is ripped,
• 12 - 14% is athletic, and
• 15% and under is ideal.
• Anything under 20% isn't bad but,
  
• If you're over 20% it's time to get to work.
  

For men:

• 3 - 5% is only appropriate for a bodybuilder or physique competitor,
• 5 - 8% is ripped (Coach Kevan sits at around 7% bodyfat year-round)
• 8 - 10% is athletic (Coach Eric sits at around 8% year-round; Coach Gabe sits at around 8 - 12% year-round)

  

  Coach Gabe is Latino and, like me, insulin resistant (it's a trait often found in Latino populations which is why I mention his ethnic background). This means one bad meal or a couple extra carbs stick to Gabe and me much quicker and more easily than they do to say Coach Kevan or Coach Eric - hence the greater range of deviation cited above. The fallout? Both Coach Gabe and I have to stick to our diets more rigidly year-round than some of our peers. To which we have two options: get frustrated, or shrug and do work. We both chose to shrug and do work, living Crossfit / paleo / gluten-free life-styles and using carbs as a tool to build muscle rather than as a nutrient source (yeah, that's another Saturday lecture. HA!)

• 12% and under is ideal
• 15% and under is great, but over 15% you have some work to do.
• As with women, you really do not want to be above 20% bodyfat - ever.

Knowing this number you can do an inverse calculation to figure out your ideal weight based on bodyfat percentage. Too complicated? Email Coach Eric at info@revelationfit.com and he will set you up for a consultation with himself or our Austin area manager Coach Gabe. We can check your bodyfat percentage and get you set up on a plan to reduce your bodyfat and up your lean muscle content.

One last thing: there is ONE exception to the above rule, but it ONLY applies to about 1% of people I come in contact with so I GUARANTEE you are NOT one of them unless while reading this you can look down and see your abs. The only reason I'm even bringing it up is so that no one reads my blog and mentions it as an exception to my rule.

The exception: the hard gainer (we have one, Coach Eric).

Coach Eric is a hard gainer. His naturally lean build worked well for him as a runner at Kent State. As a Marine preparing to serve in Afghanistan, however, Coach Eric had to change his training and pack on the pounds

Coach Eric is a hard gainer. If he doesn't train his scale weight plummets back to the runner's body his genes have blessed him with. His bodyfat is consistently 8% but, after 12 Weeks of training with RVX his weight went UP from 175lbs to about 185lbs.

Coach Eric gained about 10 lbs of muscle in 12 Weeks of RVX Training

We took about a month off of training over the holidays and Coach Eric's scale weight shot back down quickly. The 'hard gainer' is the ONE person whose WILL gain muscle during RVX Training Cycles (as we focus his training almost EXCLUSIVELY on this goal) and whose scale weight WILL go up - but he (and it's almost always a he) is typically already 10% bodyfat or below when he starts training. So DO NOT put yourself in this category unless you can already see your abs.

That's all for now. Good luck this week. Train hard, eat clean & stay focused on your dream. And watch that scale weight!

Remember: We are all in this together.

Coach M

An incredible New Years week at REVEX!

What an incredible New Years Week at REVEX! A REVEX Performance Photoshoot, a RVX Transformation, and REVEX featured in both Austin Fit and Austin Monthly Magazines!

REVEX Performance Coaches decided to throw down a workout for a RVX Photoshoot. Click here for more outtakes from the RVX shoot!

RVX Transformation #808 from San Antonio, TX was an avid Crossfitter looking to lean down. He lost 30 lbs in 12 Weeks with RVX Online, once again proving that nutrition is 90% of the battle!

Click here to see more outtakes from his 'After' shoot!

RVX Team featured in the Austin Fit Magazine's Top Trainers Guide for the third straight year!

See the REVEX Team and the Top REVEX Reveals of 2011 in the New Years edition of Austin Fit Magazine on stands now.

REVEX Coach Mariah MacDonald was featured in Austin Monthly's 'Top 10 Style Picks' for 2012! Here are some of her favorite fit-gal pics.

See Coach Mariah and the RVX Style feature -and our new ad - in the New Years edition of Austin Monthly on stands now!

Ready to start YOUR New Year right? YOUR time is NOW. REVEX. Expect Results. Call today at 512-296-5677!

Reveal #809 lost 25lbs & went from 28% to 14% bodyfat

Reveal #809 lost 25lbs in 12 Weks and went from 28% to 14% bodyfat!

Click here to see more 'Afters' from her shoot... and it's just the beginning for her!

You have seen the Before & After - but that's not half the story...

Transformation #706 gained 12 lbs of muscle and dropped from 12% to 4% bodyfat in 12 Weeks. But that isn't even half the story. Listen as this husband and father of 3 describes working the night shift, driving into Austin from the farmlands of East Texas, then sleeping 2-3 hours a night before doing it all again. This New Years Holiday, What's Your Excuse?





Transformation #808 from San Antonio, TX was an avid Crossfitter looking to lean down. He lost 30 lbs in 12 Weeks with the RevEx Online Program, once again proving that nutrition is 90% of the battle! Click here to see more Before & Afters as we get them back!

Reveal #290 - 1 Year Later

Over a year ago Reveal #290 went from 147lbs to 131lbs, 20% to 12% bodyfat in her 12 Week RevEx Challenge. Click here to see the Before & Afters.

And now, a little over a Year later, she needed a new Challenge. So she signed up for the her first bikini competition with the RevEx Elite Team.

The result? Absolutely stunning.

Click here to see more outtakes from her (new) 'After' shoot!

Top 10 Reveals, Smokin' Hot Moms, a New Reveal, New Talent & a Performance Shoot - What a Week at RevEx HQ!

Congratulations to these two moms who trained TOGETHER in the RevEx In-Home Personal Training Program, sharing sessions as a couple, to keep each other motivated and hold one another accountable! They will be featured in RevEx's annual January ad (typically our most exciting ad of the year!) in Austin Monthly Magazine, due out January 1, 2012!

And here they are ladies & gentleman! The Top Reveals and Transformations of 2011! Congratulations to our winners, who will be featured in RevEx's annual New Years ad in Austin Fit Magazine, due out January 1, 2012!

Among the winners, Reveal #800, 23% to 14.5% bodyfat in 12 Weeks!

Reveal #800 trained in a Group with 3 friends, bringing down her session cost without watering down the 1x1 Nutrition Coaching and Client Management that sets RevEx's client results apart from the pack! Click here to see more outtakes from her 'After' shoot.

In other news, RevEx HQ welcomed aboard new talent this week, Maurice Harrell.

An ex-football player, Maurice comes onboard with a diverse training background that includes Strength & Conditioning, Performance and Physique Transformation.

Speaking of RevEx Performance, the guys from the RevEx Performance Division participated in a video & photo shoot this past weekend.

Trainer Eric Ziegler

Trainer Kevan Smith

Click here to see outtakes from the shoot!

So when will it finally be your turn to Reveal Yourself? Call us today at 512-296-5677 for a complimentary consultation with a member of our staff. Don't let 2012 pass you by - reach out and (Re)claim Yourself.

RevFit Tops Austin Fit Magazine's List of Top 10 Trainers for the 3rd year in a row!

From the article, due out New Years Day, 2012...

"For the third year in a row (and In its third year in business), Revelation Fitness tops the Austin Fit Top 10 Trainers list.

RevFit's 12 Week ‘RevEx Program’ has made waves in the Austin community – and nationally – for the dramatic results it produces. A year ago the company not only topped our list but was poised to become one of the nation’s fastest-growing startups. So it came as a shock to many when owner Mariah MacDonald resumed her role as CEO of the company and let go of a number of trainers and staff whom she herself had hand-picked and trained.

MacDonald explains, “When I started the company I had a vision that all clients could and should have nothing less than a life-transforming experience. From the outside, from a results perspective, it was working.” Indeed, no one can argue with the amazing before-and-afters the company seems to churn out on a monthly basis. But from the inside? “We had about a 50% customer service satisfaction rating. That was a harsh pill to swallow when revenues were growing and people I’d trained myself from the ground-up were content.”

And now? “According to our surveys, customer satisfaction is up to 90%. We have systems in place to catch any dissatisfaction early so we can course-correct for the individual client. I spend about half my week making sure everyone is happy and on-track. In the end it’s just like Physique Transformation: it’s painful, your old friends aren’t gonna like your new ways, and you assume a ton of additional expenses knowing that it will be worth it in the end.”

And was it? If January is any indicator, MacDonald’s ‘crazy’ idea worked. “We are having the busiest month in our business’ history. The new team is amazing - lots of ex-military and people who transformed themselves - so are 110% committed to seeing this vision come to life at any cost. They bust their butts. It’s an incredible environment to work in.”

Indeed, on day of interview RevEx is bustling with 10 Trainers and ‘Client Managers’ (RevEx’s nutrition coaches) milling around cracking jokes before their team photo shoot. In a corner nearby a stunning, petite client doing her ‘After’ shoot chimes into our discussion. “12 Weeks ago I was in a size 12/14 and 30 lbs heavier. My marriage was on the rocks and I’d had liposuction and a tummy tuck. Now I walk in here in my 4 petite an d everyone is staring at me, thinking ‘some women must just have it easy’. Ha! It’s testimony to Mariah’s vision: to Reveal people and Transform their lives. Love her, hate her, say what you will about her – but you can’t deny that she has something that no one else in this town has and has shared it with allot of people, trainers and clients alike. She’s an entrepreneur's entrepreneur.”

And with RevEx Version 2.0 killing it, MacDonald seems poised to to take over the world." - AFM

RevEx Coach Mariah's Fitness Gal Style Picks Featured in Austin Monthly

RevEx's Coach Mariah will be Austin Monthly's Featured "Top 10 Style" Person for January!

Pick it up and get your New Years Resolution on with RevEx!

So what are some of Coach Mariah's Top Style Picks for the Austin Fitness Diva?

1. A reliable workout partner who never lets you skip is the #1 style accessory for any fitness diva! Make sure when the weekend rolls around your clothes fit like the SHOULD by scheduling 3 - 5 weekly workouts with someone who can commit to push you toward your GOAL. Coach Mariah works it out with RevEx Coach Eric (pictured above) - and you can too - click here for more information. Work it (out) girl!
2. Blowouts! Jarris at Blo Blowdry Bar makes any gal feel like queen for a day! Turn heads and glimmer head to toe with a once-weekly blowout!

3. During the week a fitness girl's hair can be a little crazy. Bumble & Bumble Dry Shampoo will get you through an intense work(out) week! It comes in white powder spray to cover up those not-so-glam workout roots while the alcohol dries up & absorbs excess water. Blow it out and wear it down girl!

4. Bronzers by Guerlain (available at Saks) for a natural "just worked it out" look. You glow girl!

5. Weekly makeup appointment with Belinda Reyes at MAC at Barton Creek Nordstrom (so you don't have to think!). She makes you look gorgeous AND tells you what to buy. Smart shopping saves a fitness chic time and money!

6. Boze Speaker kept in car for impromptu workouts in the park.

7. Facewash with salycilic, a face buffer and always always oil absorbers in your purse to keep your face oil-free and gorgeous even on a day filled with workouts!

8. Bebe. For girls with hips the fit of Bebe's clothes knocks it out of the park season after season, year after year. Flaunt it girl!

9. Stilettos. When you live in Austin and are stuck in sneakers all week you must break out the stilettos at least once a week to feel gorgeous!
10. A pink workout bag kept in the car filled with LuluLemon clothing for aforementioned impromptu workouts in the park.

11. Dark Summer Dawn CD's - Coach Mariah's favorite Austin band will ALWAYS get you hyped for a great workout!

12. Powercrunch Choklat bars & Arctic Zero Ice Cream (150 calories a pint!), My Fit Foods Pancakes & Snap Kitchen Veggie Lasagna - in this town there is NO EXCUSE not to eat lots of yummy clean food!!! God blessed (Austin) Texas! Eat it up like a skinny chic!

Want to learn more of Coach Mariah's Must-Have Style Picks? Pick up the January issue of Austin Monthly, available on stands Holidays 2011, or come meet Coach Mariah in person at the weekly FREE RevEx Community Workout. Click here for details!

A Huge Day in Reveals & Transformations - and a Contest!

It's that time of year again! Revelation Fitness' Annual "Breakup with your 'Before Picture'" Campaign! Click here for outtakes from last year and read on to get INSPIRED to enter...

To kick off that campaign, we had a HUGE day in Reveals & Transformations here at RevEx!!

Each one of these clients lost over 30 lbs in their 12 Week RevEx Challenge!!

We'll begin with Transformation #401, who went from 20% body

fat to 5% bodyfat in his 12 Week RevEx Transformation... and lost 30 lbs along the way.

Now, 1 year later this husband and full-time doctor only looks better. Watch for a film about his life since his RevEx Transformation Holidays, 2011. In the meantime, click here for outtakes from today's video shoot about his life since his RevEx Transformation.

Next let's jump to Reveal #804, who went from 183 to 140 lbs during her 12 Week RevEx Reveal! Click here for more outtakes from her shoot as we get them!

Then we'll jump over to Reveal #804's neighbor, Reveal #803! She went from 135lbs to 117lbs in her 12 Week RevEx Reveal! Click here for more Before & Afters as we get them in!

Last but most certainly not least, a breathtaking Reveal #802 went from 171 to 135 in her RevEx Challenge. Reveal #802 is a very special Reveal as she will be sharing the ups and downs of her Challenge in ads & videos being released in January 2012. The good, the bad, the hard and the easy - the stuff you've heard, the stuff you haven't - she'll dish on all of it this winter! In the meantime, click here for more outtakes from her shoot!

Now it's YOUR turn! Ready to Reveal YOURSELF? Drop us a line by clicking here!

One gorgeous holiday Reveal... and a MYSTERY New Years Reveal

It's that time of year again!!!

Today RevEx had 2 very special Reveal photo shoots.

The first? Two ladies, both moms, who trained as a couple and knocked it out of the park! Here are some of the outtakes from Reveal #821 & #521's photo shoot (now look for them in our Holiday ads!):

And across town in Central Austin, Reveal #850 shot for our New Years RevEx ad. This one is so startling we're not even going to post the spoiler!! Reveal #850, 183lbs to 140 lbs in her RevEx Challenge and...

Well, come New Years 2012 you'll get to see the Before & After!!

Now it's YOUR TURN (finally)!! Ready to start your RevEx Reveal or RevEx Transformation? Take advantage of our special holiday offer!

Click here to get started today!

An Amazing Week in Reveals & an EXCLUSIVE Holiday Offer!

Still haven't had your Revelation? Check out this week's Reveals... From Revelation to Reveal in just 90 Days!

Reveals #800, 801 & 802: Revealed in our RevEx Private Group Training Program

Reveal #501: Revealed in our RevEx 1x1 Personal Training Program... and now she's getting ready for her first bikini competition with RevEx Elite Team! Mother of 3; Greek goddess all in 1!

Reveal #803: Lost 35 lbs in the RevEx Online Training Program


Had your Revelation? Start your Reveal today and receive up to 15% off any of our Programs with our special holiday discount Program. Click here to get started.