Josh Tank Sarge was one of the first Big Back Lifting Grips user profiles we did. Josh used to weight lifting straps but got tired of the bruising on his wrists. Check out of the back workout videos with Nick Wright and James Newman on www.BigBackGrips.com
Alex Frescatore is our latest Big Back Lifting Grips user profile:
ALEX: I came upon the world of lifting after the lower back injury in ’09. My tenth grade year things got bad for me. My grades were bad, I didn’t have many friends, and my weight was spiraling out of control. Not to mention I was just going through a failed relationship. I needed a life change. And I remember this like it was yesterday – I looked mirror. I was 237 pounds and squeezing into my black jeans was a 44 inch waist. I was depressed. I joined the gym and started working out but kept eating junk and just got fatter. This is when I met someone who would become not just my training partner but one of my best friends. I was in school on the computer looking at a picture of Jay Cutler and Branch Warren for a MuscleTech ad when the classmate next to me seemed to have looked in utter amazement. His name was Matt. He wanted to lift to get bigger, and I wanted to get smaller. Every day for us it became all about the gym, and every day throughout the winter of 2010, Matt and I would get up, go to school, train, eat, and sleep.
Except me instead of sleeping I was learning. I would spend hours on hours reading and researching bodybuilding, losing weight, and getting abs. Eventually I armed myself with enough knowledge that by the time 2011 came around I knew what it meant. And I knew what it took to be a bodybuilder. I haven’t stopped training, learning, and yearning since. I didn’t want to be that fat kid anymore. The kid no one took seriously. I have been now training for two years, and bodybuilding for a year and a half. Sadly it took me till 2011 to get serious but since I have I’ve made the greatest gains in my life. My goals have also changed with the passing days. Now my goal is simple be the very best bodybuilder Alex Frescatore can be. I just hope the very best I can be is Olympia worthy! I will NEVER stop bodybuilding. I will NEVER stop living life to be the best I can be. I will not quit or give up because it is only death that can stop me, and death is something you cannot fear in life….neither is pain. So I just press on.
Full disclosure: Tammy Hughes has been part of the Big Back Grips story since we first launched in 2007. She has been on our packaging, our website, at our events and in our hearts for everything she did to help a start-up take root. For Tammy is one of the nicest, most generous, most welcoming people we know. And we’ve been providing Big Back Grips to her husband, bodybuilder and trainer David Hughes and his clients since about the same time.
She is also an accomplished fitness competitor, having placed first in the International Natural Bodybuilding Association (INBA) Classic in her native Australia. She manages one of Los Angeles’ most respected gyms. And with David, brings her experience and knowledge to (Big Back Grips dealer!) Get Hughes Nutrition which they own together in Simi Valley, CA. Since Tammy’s also a Big Back user, we asked her to be part of our Big Back Grips User Profile page.
BBG: Of course on of the reasons we’re interviewing you is because we know you’re avid Big Back Grips user. What did you use before BBGs and why did you settle on BBGs? How do they help your workout?
BBG: Of course on of the reasons we’re interviewing you is because we know you’re avid Big Back Grips user. What did you use before BBGs and why did you settle on BBGs? How do they help your workout?
TAMMY: Well, I used to use weight lifting gloves. Little pink ones. But let me tell people how I even discovered Big Back Grips: You guys wanted to shoot some pictures in the gym that I managed, and you wanted to use me – ME! – on your packaging. And while I was working out with your grips during the photo shoot, I realized my little pink gloves weren’t doing anything to help my workout. Nothing! They were just, well, pink. The first time I did a set of cable rows with the grips, I knew I didn’t care what color they were. They gave me an amazing set and that was that! And Hollywood Gym became your first retail dealer.
BBG: Professionally, what’s your opinion of other weight lifting grips and other solutions, especially weight lifting straps?
TAMMY: Chalk is ok, but kills your hands. And a lot of gyms don’t allow it anymore. And gloves, well, gloves are just gloves. They may pad, but they don’t grip. Weight lifting straps are just not good. Not good at all. Too many bruises. Too easy to injure your wrists. There you go.
“I own a personal training business, which means I change lives for a living!!”
Big Back User Profile: Nicole Forlenza, Certified Personal Trainer
BBG: Can you start by telling just us a little about yourself? What do you do professionally?
Nicole Forlenza: Well, I have been involved in fitness since 2002 when it changed my life! I own a personal training business, which means I change lives for a living!! I LOVE my “job” (please notice the quotes, because if you love what you do…. Anyway, I motivate, inspire and challenge others in a positive way every single day!
BBG: Where do you work out?
Nicole Forlenza: I mostly work out at 24 Hour Fitness…I love when I can get up to Venice Beach to train at “The Mecca” but my busy life doesn’t make that possible as much as I would like.
BGB: We do want you talk about this for a moment. One of the reasons we’re interviewing you is because we know you’re avid Big Back Grips user. What did you use before BBGs and why did you settle on BBGs?
Nicole Forlenza: I use to use basic weight lifting gloves!!! I met Larry, the owner, at the LA FitExpo where our mutual friend Adam Strachman introduced us. Larry let me try a pair – I will try anything if it is proven to make my performance better – and sure enough they helped so much!!
BBG: How do they help your workout?
Nicole Forlenza: HELP??? Ha increased my strength tremendously & they made me significantly more defined. And they’re just simple rubber lifting grips, but the best ones out there.
BBG: We’d like to ask you a little about personal training since we have a lot of trainers and clients visiting our site. We know there are better and worse clients. What makes for a good client for you?
Nicole Forlenza: A great client is a client who listens to the advice they are given and shuts up and does it 
You can lead many to water but you can’t make them drink…the great clients are those who drink what I tell them to – and then come back for more. “Drink” is a metaphor, of course.
Big Back User Profile: Alex Michael Turner
“I finished high school at a whopping 103lbs…and in the last 5 years, have naturally gotten myself up and over 200.”
User Profile: Alex Turner, Bodybuilder and Manager of Newko Sports Nutrition
BBG: Would you mind introducing yourself. Tell us a little bit about your background, where you’re from, went to school, what you do … anything you want to people to know about yourself.
AT : My name is Alex Michael Turner. I was raised in the small country town of Ontario in Oregon. It’s right on the Idaho border, not far from Boise. I am 23 years old currently, and have made fitness an absolutely NECESSARY part of my everyday life.
BBG: We’ve met a lot of great people on Facebook. Can you tell people how we met there?
AT : I looked you guys up, after receiving a pair of Big Back Grips from a buddy. The rest is history!
BBG: What brought you into the world of lifting and when? What are your main goals in working out?
AT : I would have to say my dad brought me into the vast world of lifting. He was a nationally ranked power lifter straight out of high school. And since I graduated, it has become my passion as well. I also began training in hopes of gaining weight. I finished high school at a whopping 103lbs…and in the last 5 years, have naturally gotten myself up and over 200, while maintaining a bf % of nowhere higher than 5%.
BBG: What are your biggest accomplishments in your athletic history so far, wins, personal goals achieved, etc.
AT : I have done a few shows, but I would have to say my biggest accomplishment was this last year in May. I took 1st Place at a National Gym Association (NGA) pro show in Idaho. It was all the motivation I needed to venture onto bigger and better goals. I have been published in Fusion Magazine, and done several interviews as well. I was a strong competitor in the Men’s Fitness Athlete Search, and finished 76th in the entire country, out of hundreds of thousands of entries. I love Boise for the shear fact that it is a “fitness” oriented town. Bodybuilding.com originated here, and so there is a huge following of athletes. It’s a small city, but always motivating, nonetheless.
BBG: So now Newko Sports Nutrition, the store you manage, is a Big Back Grips dealer. Tell us about your role there. Do a lot of people come into just to talk and ask questions as much as to buy?
AT : I would have to start off by saying I love Newko for the honesty we put out to our clients…Fitness is my passion, so I enjoy speaking with people on a daily basis about their lifting routines, dieting, 
and overall nutrition. I would say on a daily basis I am VERY swamped with customers…whether they are buying, or just in for a good visit and some tips! I have tried my hardest to present myself in the way that people are comfortable asking me anything they need when it comes to their physical goals! I feel there is a large stereotype a lot of times with bodybuilders, athletes, etc…. where people may not feel comfortable asking what’s on their mind! NEWKO changes that mentality, and I’m proud to represent them!
BBG: As a nutrition professional, what do you think are the most important concepts for athletes, especially bodybuilders, to grasp about diet? Are there any common misconceptions about diet you come across repeatedly?
AT : I would have to say the biggest thing that I see people do is maintain a mentality that CALORIES are CALORIES…and in all reality, when I sit down to lunch with my friends who are weighing in at 265 competing weight, the first thing I notice is their diet. It is always CLEAN bulk food. Whole foods are the key ingredient, and supplement to major growth. Just because a chicken basket with fries is 1800 calories….that doesn’t mean it’s going to ANYTHING positive to benefit you in the areas of lean gains! Stick to your major food groups…get back to the basics! That has also been the major turning point in my career, was taking my diet and completely putting it through boot camp! Haha
BBG: How is your philosophy about diet reflected in your own day to day habits?
AT : I am very good about how I eat, and have found certain ways to make it more cost effective as well. I think another huge misconception is that eating healthy is expensive. We as society have sadly made it more affordable to go to your local fast food restaurant, than to, yes, go home and cook up a steak…..But look at other avenues. Look at using a crock pot for roasts, and all your veggies for the week. Look at chicken, frozen salmon, etc. The real problem I see is people making excuses for not eating right. Not bothering or not knowing HOW to go about getting into this regimen! Don’t get me wrong, I will have a cheat day here and there. What is life without enjoying some of the finer foods? Strongly moderated, of course.
BBG: Where do you work out?
AT : I have lifted at a number of gyms in Boise, and maintain memberships at several as well! I like changing things up and seeing new scenery from week to week. My primary gym is the GOLD’s located in Meridian.
So now you work out with Big Back Grips. Do you use them for back only or for more than that?
AT : I love my BBG for ALL of my back exercises…but can’t deny the help in ALL other areas as well. Anything, that I can grip (aside from a rope) gets a grip now. I love saving my hands, and feeling as if I can push, pull, or drag more weight WITH my BBGs! Benching with my grips has changed everything in my routine!
BBG: How would you compare BBGs to straps, gloves, chalk, etc?
AT : I think they are very comparable to straps/chalk/gloves combined…. except …you don’t get achy wrists from the weight being supported by your wrists, you don’t get dirty from chalk, and you don’t have the sweaty nasty mess that gloves will leave you with. BBG are easy, light, there when you need them…in your pocket when you don’t! In my opinion they are by far more convenient, and beneficial health wise.
BBG: How have they changed your workouts?
AT : I know that my own strength has naturally been increasing, but I do feel almost as if a mental block is gone. I hated how beat up my hands got doing heavy weight for such a slender frame. As I mentioned earlier in the interview, I started this voyage at just over 100 lbs., and so although I have physically grown, I have also noticed my hands have not toughened up as quickly as my body itself has. The grips take that stress off, and allow me to push to my maximum capabilities!
BBG: As anyone who’s been to your Facebook page knows, you have some very impressive ink. Do you mind if we ask you about it?
AT : Absolutely not, I love talking about my tattoos. I started getting inked right out of high school, and have acquired full sleeves VERY quickly. I feel they set me apart from the majority of others in the gym, as well as the fitness world as a whole. I love color, vibrancy, and art…so the combination of those three things was directed to my arms. My entire right sleeve consists of everything from roses, to my mother’s hands praying, to my Favorite Grandfather’s initials after he passed. The left sleeve is a full freehand Japanese themed piece. We outlined the entire Japanese sleeve in ONE day, 11 hours. To be honest, I feel I am done though as far as artwork goes. I don’t have anywhere else on my body that I wish to cover, or hide! My arms fit me, and I am happy with them!
BBG: That was actually our next question: we couldn’t help notice the most densely covered and elaborate collections are your sleeves. The colors there are the most vibrant. Other than the neck and face, arms are the hardest part to go low profile with if you’d want to. We were wondering why your arms became the main canvas.
AT : I picked my arms because they could be vibrant if I wanted them to be…but I can still wear a suit for business, and you would never know. I do a good job of covering my arms during contests, and in fact you should have seen the judges’ faces at my last show, after I washed my tan off! Haha — priceless. No one knew I had full sleeves, so you can imagine the shock of finding out the guy who took first was covered! Nonetheless, it was a great laugh!
BBG: Is future ink planned?
AT : No future ink is planned….I am going to finish coloring my left Japanese themed arm, and then call it quits for a while. I do not want to cover my core, chest, or back in any way!
BBG: So back to workouts: What is your workout schedule like? How does your training schedule support your current goals?
AT : My current schedule is pretty easy to keep down, its 6 days a week…normally making my off days Saturday. I train mornings at 5:30 AM, and do my cardio in the evenings. My lifts normally consist of 5-6 different exercises, 4-6 sets, of 8-12 reps…ending each set with a drop set! A drop set, is burning out with each weight, before moving down in weight to continue burning out. This is done until you can’t push it any further.
Let’s take triceps pushdowns as an example of drop sets:
Set #1: 160lbs, burnout…
Set #2: drop weight to 130lbs, burnout
Set #3: Drop the weight to 100lbs burnout…and so on and so forth.
AT : This I feel increases my definition, and allows me to go heavier DURING my main sets, knowing my toning set is waiting for me at the end. I am normally in the gym for no less than 1.5 hours…but would say its more like 2 on a daily basis! Cardio consists of 15-30 minutes of a stair machine, followed by abs. I have found this routine, is perfect for my body type. It promotes lean gains, while keeping my metabolism high, and keeping the desired low body fat that I love!
Big Back User Profile: Chris Downey
“I had received a ton of questions in the gym … so I decided it was time to write it all down and publish it.”
User Profile, Christopher Downey
Bodybuilder, Owner of http://www.downeyworksout.blogspot.com
BBG: Naturally one of the reasons we’re interviewing you is because we know you’re an avid Big Back Grips user so let’s just deal with that quickly. What did you use before BBGs and why did you settle on BBGs? Lifting straps? Workout gloves? And how do they help your workout?
Chris: I certainly am an avid Big Back Grips user! I used straps before I got my first pair of BBGs. I noticed that I had been getting pains in my shoulder, elbow and wrist when I would use the lifting straps. I would also get what I call “strap burn” on my wrists. With those two things in mind I started to look for alternatives. Then I found BBGs. Not only did they solve those two issues, they also help me lift more weight for more reps. I use them for every muscle group I can!
BBG: Ok, so, tell us a little about yourself: your name, background, where you grew up, where you went to school and for what. What do you do professionally? A mini-bio, if you will.
Chris: My name is Christopher Joseph Downey. I usually go by Downey or Joey D, not many people call me by my first name. I don’t have a preference, though. I grew up in Indiana and moved to Chicago in 1997. I was in Residential Development for awhile and just recently decided to try something new so I’m heading back to school for my Psychology Doctorate. I am going to end up graduating with a Doctorate in Child & Adolescent Psychology with a Master’s in Sport & Health Psychology. I really want to help kids with self-image issues.
BBG: Tell us about your blog: http://www.downeyworksout.blogspot.com. When did you start it? What’s it like running your own bodybuilding blog?
Chris: I started my fitness blog July 2007. I had received a ton of questions in the gym about my routine and diet, so I decided it was time to write it all down and publish it. My goal with the blog is to inform people about my methods of training and hopefully inspire them to reach their goals. It has actually grown into a lot more. It’s really crazy running my own bodybuilding blog. When I look back on my 140lb teenage years, I never thought I would be 220lbs writing about fitness. It is a LOT of work, but I love doing it and the positive response and feedback I get from everyone is awesome and keeps me going!
Big Back Lifting Grips will now be available at the Sports and Fitness Center on Barksdale AFB in Louisiana.
Here’s why we get pissed at rubber coated gym handles. The rubber sucks! It slips, it slides, it tears. IT DOES EVERYTHING BUT GIVE YOU A BETTER SET!
Greetings. Just want to catch everyone up on recent events. This was Muscle Beach Venice, Sunday, Memorial Day weekend. And it was freezing! www.BigBackGrips.com
Find Keith Kirkwood at the LA FitExpo in one of his Big Back shirts and get a free pair of Big Back Grips. Mention Facebook, Twitter or Tumblr.
This one of our favorite shots from the Olympia. Just came across them. We never had a chance to meet the guy though. Feel free to tag if anyone knows him. www.bigbackgrips.com
