Cover Athlete Insider: Amber Dodzweit

January 6, 2016

Think a body like this one means hours in the gym and nothing but chicken and broccoli? Try again.

There’s no question, Amber trains hard for her famous physique, but as a coach to women all over the world (not to mention a sponsored athlete for elite LA brand Clutch Bodyshop) she’s too busy making stuff happen to spend all her time working out. So how does our cover athlete use her waking hours? Here’s a glimpse into her daily life, complete with recipes and training tips for a killer workout.

7:00am (ish): If I make it to bed by midnight, I’m up at 7am. I set up my coffee maker the night before so I can come downstairs and hit a button. Then I have a shake, feed the dogs and have a cup of coffee as I sit and relax for what’s most often the only few minutes I’m able to throughout my entire day.
9:00am: After I inhale, do a little reading, and prepare for my day, I go for a neighborhood walk with the fur babies (I walk them three times a day for about a mile each).
10:00am: Once I’m back at the loft I hit the ground running! I check in with my ATEAM clients online and see how their training is going, answer emails, create recipes and workouts and other amazingness for social media, and attend any meetings I have scheduled for the day.
2:00pm: Finally, off to the gym to train! (For her tips for an awesome workout, keep reading).
4:00pm: By the time my workout is done, it’s late afternoon and I sit down and dig into the work I have left over from that morning (this usually wraps at about midnight). The girls that join my programs online are always so shocked that I personally answer questions on a daily basis and I’m extremely active in getting to know them. It takes a lot of time to manage a team from all over the world but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
7:00pm: I take a break from work for dinner and cook something like zucchini noodles and marinara with chicken (and the occasional glass of red wine). Yum!
10:00pm: I end my night with a dark chocolate protein shake. I blend one scoop of Clutch Bodyshop protein powder, ice, unsweetened vanilla almond milk, ¼-½ avocado, one tablespoon of raw cocoa and a bit of stevia, then I eat it with a spoon while I finish my work.

Here are my top 3 tips for an effective, kick ass workout:

1. Leave Your Phone Behind.

This happens to me all the time: I get an email or a text in the middle of a workout and have to respond right away. Before I know it my heart rate drops and I’ve lost my flow! Now I just leave it behind and focus on my training. That’s my time.

2. Don't Travel Too Far.

When I’m setting up my circuits in the gym I will create as many exercises as I can, using the same area or piece of equipment. For example, if I have a Smith Machine, I won’t just use it for a squat—I’ll squat, then lift the bar as high as possible for pull-ups, then bring it down to the lowest setting and do glute blasters. In between those exercises, I incorporate some plyometrics to keep up my heart rate and maximize my time.

3. Use Timed Sets.

Timed sets are a great way to keep up the pace and your heart rate. Counting reps can become redundant, where a 30-second set can really challenge the muscles in a new way. Any weight lifted for 30 seconds creates not only strength but also endurance, and can bring a great fat burning element into the move. I never realized just how long a half of a minute is until the last set of a timed lateral raise. It’s no joke!