Down Goes Frazier!

Just 20 minutes ago, I felt like Joe Frazier in his fight against George Foreman, only my opponent was "the leg workout."

I was doing great at first. I did all my sets of squats and had even made it through the brutal superset of walking lunges and leg extensions... or so I thought. After completing my last set of lunges and preparing to do deadlifts, a gentleman at the gym started talking to me. We got to talking about weight lifting and gaining muscle and the fact that he still had 13 personal training sessions to use up! Through my leg workout I picked up another client, sweet! And then it hit me. The cold sweat, eyes crossing, seeing stars and then everything was starting to go black. I've fainted before and I knew that's what was going to happen if I didn't lay down soon. Mid sentence I informed the man that I needed to "use the restroom." I ran around the corner (where he couldn't see me of course) and laid down immediately and brought my knees up to "stretch" but mostly to get the blood back to my head. Phew, situation "pass out" averted. So I caught back up with the gentleman and got him scheduled for next week (I should make him do this workout haha). Directly after putting him in my schedule I started seeing stars again. Great. I tell him I can't wait to start working with him and shout "See you Tuesday!" as I race into the fitness room to lay down for the second time. Situation averted yet again.

After the second close call, I decided to call it a day and head home before I actually passed out. So what  did I do in my workout differently that would make me feel this way? Nothing. I did everything the same. The culprit? LOW CARBS. That's why experts recommend eating complex carbs before exercise. Bodybuilding is not easy my friends. As you can see, it's hard enough to make you pass out, and many people actually do. So I listened to my body and decided that that was enough for today.

On a good note, I am down to 107.8 today! YEHAAAAA

So close....

After some hard work the last few days and getting back on track, I am down to 108.6. I can start to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Im hoping to hit 107 by Sunday when I get my body fat tested again and do some more posing. Im really interested to see where my body fat is. Ive stopped having my menstral cycle which probably means my body fat is around 12%.

The past few days have been a struggle. My energy levels are dwindeling and its getting harder to push through the workouts. But tomorrow marks 4 weeks until peak week and we are definitely at crunch time now. Knowing this gives me the motivation to get pushing hard and really zone into my diet. My goal for the next 4 weeks is not to cheat, AT ALL! This is going to be a huge challenge for me but it needs to be done. The more our carbs are dropping the more my body reacts (negatively) to anything outside of our diet.

Time to buckle down and get it done!!

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I'm Losin' It!

I am officially starting to lose my mind. The combination of low-carbs and high intensity workouts is starting to affect my brain function. The last 5 days have been very interesting to say the least. What seems to be happening most is that I am becoming increasingly forgetful. Here are a few "for instance"s:

Saturday: Couldn't remember where I parked my car and looked for it for 10 minutes. It was on the opposite end of the street.
Sunday: Forgot it was Sunday and missed church. Later that day.... got done on the cardio machine and couldn't remember what to do next
Monday: Thought it was Sunday and missed cardio session before work. Forgot water...big mistake
Tuesday: Couldn't remember if I had taken my supplements in the morning and then proceeded to forget to take them in the evening
Wednesday: Forgot to shut the front door to the house! The screen door was closed, luckily, but the front door was wide open for a good 2 hours.

And this is only the beginning of the madness! Besides losing my sanity I'm losing other things, like my boobs! They disappeared and barely fill in my sports-bra. This is a sad day for a woman indeed. Now I completely understand why professional bodybuilders and figure competitors get fake ones. Will I go this far? Highly doubtful. It's a lot easier to run and jump without two balloons popping you in the chin. Although, I don't see anything wrong with them either....

It's a Christmas Miracle!

I shouted these words this morning after stepping off the scale (startling my sleeping husband and puppy). This line was from a movie, although I can't remember which one at the moment. I was at 109.8 this morning! There is hope my friends. That's almost a pound difference from yesterday (110.6) which tells me that I was probably holding on to some water weight.

Oh sweet relief. It is such an amazing feeling to be surprised with a lower number then what you expected. My motivation is high, my spirits are renewed and I am ready to rock this week and hopefully get down to 107 ish by week's end! BUT, I need to remind myself also to pay more attention to how my body looks and feels and not get discouraged if a weight shift isn't happening as fast as I think it should.

Patience and Perseverance are my 2 words to live by for the next 6 weeks. In the meantime, here are some goals I have for this week...

Weight goal: 107ish
Workout goals: Hit each weight session hard! Complete 35 minutes of cardio in the morning and 30 minutes in the evening EVERYDAY!
Posing goals: Run through mandatory poses everyday and keep flexing legs everyday
Diet goals: Keep track of all food consumed! NO MORE CHEESEBURGERS! My cheat meal will now consist of either a protein bar, protein smoothie, or small piece of chocolate :) Preferably before the last cardio session. Drink all water!
Personal goal: keep the faith, be patient, and keep a positive attitude :)

Reflections of the Week

We are officially 5 WEEKS out until peak week! I have a million emotions going through me at all times ranging from excitement, anxiety, frustration, and even sadness. For most of this week I would say that I have mostly been anxious and frustrated. With the shift in workouts and not keeping track of my diet, I actually went up to 112 but have since then come back down to 110.6. Although I did not hit my weight goal this week (109 lbs), I am still happy because I finally broke through 111 (phew). This tells me that my metabolism is picking back up and my body is finally responding to our new workouts (higher reps/ drop sets/ and 2 cardio sessions per day). And of course the whole diet thing makes a big difference :) Besides the weight on the scale, I'm noticing a lot of changes in my body. My abs are more visible without flexing, the lines are starting to come out more in my legs, and my veins are showing more often. My body is getting leaner even though it hasn't shown much on the scale and I need to embrace this and move on.

I'm not sure what my body fat percentage is at this point, although it feels like it's gone from a high 14 to maybe between 13 and 12. I will find out for sure next weekend when we visit with our posing coach. Other changes in our workout have included a 30 minute cardio session in the morning (low intensity) before eating or drinking anything. This is done to help burn more fat. We have also added a 30 minute cardio session (moderate intensity) in the evening after our last meal, before bed, and no eating afterward! This is done to burn up any excess carbs so they aren't hanging around while we sleep. We are still weight training 6 days a week with a rest day after leg workouts, but have increased the rep range from 8 up to anywhere from 10-20 reps depending on the muscle group and have added in drop sets, super sets, and shorter rest periods. It is exhausting to say the least, and the muscles are constantly on fire!

Besides the workouts we are also posing every night, or trying to anyways. We are getting more comfortable with our mandatory poses (done in the pre-judging phase) and are discovering our best poses. This part is starting to get really fun because we can actually see our hard work paying off. Next weekend I will start practicing my night routine and will have to add that to our nightly posing regimen.

At this point in the game, changes will begin to happen more rapidly as we lower our carbohydrate intake and up the cardio and workout intensity. It will be exhausting and painful but we are so close!

There's no turning back now! The only thing left to do is keep eating, sleeping, training, practicing, and staying consistent. BRING IT ON!

Heart Stopping Leg Workout

Ok folks, here is the leg workout we are doing for the next 5 weeks before the show. All exercises are done for 3 sets of 15 reps except where it is noted other wise. The trick is to increase the amount of weight you lift with each set (except for lunges and possibly deadlifts). Rest no longer than one minute between sets and exercises. Here it is...

Barbell Squats (weight I used: 95, 115, 135lbs) 

Superset (do exercises back to back): Barbell walking lunges (15 lunges each leg with 40lbs) then Leg extension machine (50,60,70 lbs for extensions. 

Deadlift (stiff legged or regular): weight used: 95, 115, 115) These are pretty rough on the low back so it might be better to go lighter and focus on form.

Superset: Lying leg curl machine (60, 70, 80 lbs) then calf raise machine (20 reps at 100 lbs)

Seated calf raises: 20 reps with 35 lb plate. Focus control: 2 seconds up/ 2 seconds down

*Finish this off with 30 minutes on the stairmaster and you're sure to fall over. 

P.S. you may want to stretch after this one :)

Bodybuilding= Stressful?

Before starting this crazy journey I never would have imagined that it would become so stressful! Having to prepare food everyday and remembering to not only bring it with you, but eat at the correct times can become quite the ordeal. Doing the "right" workouts and the "right" cardio for the "right" amount of time and progressing those workouts the "right" way takes an incredible amount of planning and research. Combine the outrageously low carb diet with 2-3 workouts a day and minimal sleep and you have yourself a recipe for disaster. I've been so stressed in fact that I have terrible heart burn!

Because I have no previous experience in bodybuilding I am at a disadvantage because the workouts and diet are pretty much an "experiment" to discover what works best for my body. I've learned that there is no "right" way to prepare for bodybuilding other than being consistent with diet and exercise of course. Everyone is going to have their own opinion because that's what has worked best for them. But I am not them! Therefor, this journey will mostly be a learning experience for me and I will be pleased no matter what the outcome. But there is that little voice in my head saying, "You know you want to win." :)

The plan for this week was to be at a weight of 109. I am stuck. Stuck at 111 and weigh-in in 2 days. I'm not going to lie, this bothers me. It really bugs me when I'm not seeing my hard work show up on the scale. You start a dialogue with yourself; "Am I eating too many calories?" No. "Did I complete all my workouts." Yes. "Then what the heck is going on!" You start trying to figure out every little detail that may have gone wrong and it drives you to, well, heartburn in my case. My husband mentioned to me that I need to be patient (not a strong suite for me in this case) and let my body adjust to the new workouts and reduced calories.

So what's my solution? A big fat cheeseburger and relaxation. I feel like I've been driving my body to the ground lately so I took the opportunity yesterday to have my cheat meal early in the week and take off my second cardio session of the day. Will this help? Maybe. But at this point I'm realizing that I really just need to relax and stop obsessing over this so much. I'm back on schedule today with cardio/ weights and diet so we'll see what happens in the next 3 to 4 days. Worst comes to worst, I'll enroll the help of our posing coaches who also do diet plans for competitors. Another expenditure, yes, but one less thing I will have to worry about.

Remember, be patient, do the best you can, and don't worry about the rest!

Gooooooooooals!

I am constantly helping others create and achieve their goals through my job as a personal trainer. Making goals are the only way to assess and measure your success. So of course, I have to create my own goals! Here they are:

Main Goal: Compete in bodybuilding competition April 2, 2011
Main Weight Goal: 103
Main Body Fat Goal: 8%
Main Personal Goal: more definition in legs and have fun at the show!

Weekly Weight Goals: Drop 1.8- 2 pounds per week
Weekly Body Fat Goals: Lose 1-2% body fat each week
Personal goals: stay on target with diet and practice posing everyday

Writing down these goals gives me something to constantly work towards and measure my success. And it KEEPS ME ACCOUNTABLE. If I don't reach my goals each week then I will have to work even harder the next week. This journey is hard enough as it is so I refuse to make it any harder!

I also like making other goals besides weight loss so I don't get caught up in the "number's game." Usually by achieving my personal goals I will end up achieving my weight loss goals. Not to mention, achieving ANY goal increases your self-esteem and motivation!

New Workouts!

We are 7 weeks out from the show and only 6 weeks until "Peak Week!" Joe and I have both gone down almost 2% in body fat in 1 week and we both hit our weight loss goals! This is a huge source of motivation for us! Here are my stats this week:

Date: 2/12                                          Date: 2/6
Weight: 111                                       Weight: 113
Body Fat%: 14.73                              Body Fat%: 16.3

It's about that time to switch-up our workouts again as our bodies have gotten used to the last set of workouts. We have been doing a 3-day split that Joe used for his last show; Chest/Back, Shoulders & Arms, Legs (3 sets of 8 reps).

We are going to start upping the reps now to 10-15 reps to increase the fat burn and to start bringing out muscle fibers. After meeting with our posing coaches yesterday, I learned that I really need to focus on my legs. Your legs can actually make or break your standing in a competition and although I have good "shape" to my legs I really need to bring out the definition. The definition will really start to come in the last few weeks because this is the last place I will lose fat (dangit). In the meantime, I need to do more reps and work on contracting/posing on my legs EVERYDAY! I need to make a mind/body connection and really FOCUS on contracting every single muscle fiber during each rep and every time we pose.

I've learned that bodybuilding (and weight lifting in general) takes so much more than just "lifting weights." It takes FOCUS, DEDICATION, and REPETITION.

My motivation level is high and I am determined  to get my legs to "pop."

6 weeks to Peak Week!

We are a mere month and a half from peak week: the week that matters the most; where every minute in the gym counts and every calorie and drink of water makes all the difference. We are continually working through the trials and triumphs of the diet and workouts day in and day out. I have learned a lot about myself and my eating habits through this process and I am hoping that realizing my little quirks will help me to continue to reach my goals.

A common mistake many athletes and people in general make is binge eating. I am no exception to this problem. After eating the same things every single day I am continuously fighting my mind not to give in to every temptation. My biggest fear through doing this competition is developing poor eating behaviors. After struggling with the diet every day, I am all too aware that I could go completely overboard once the show is over. With this fear aside, I have learned to listen to my body and learned when I need to eat foods that are outside of my diet.

We usually allow ourselves one cheat day a week, where we eat foods that have more fat and carbs. My cheat of choice is a cheeseburger. I usually end up having my cheat meal at the end of the week when my body feels like its starting to shut down. I chose to have my cheat day today as I was feeling very light headed for most of the day, a sign that my body needed some fat and carbs. I usually feel ten times better after this meal, however, I am still struggling to keep the cheat meal to just one food item. For instance, today I found some chocolates in our house and have had a hard time eating just one (or 5).

I refuse to feel guilty about any extra cheats I may have had because I will still be working out for 2 hours tonight (weights/cardio) and because tomorrow is a new day!

I have to eat that again??

As most seasoned bodybuilders know, eating can be one of the most depressing parts of this sport; you eat the same things day after day. I am finding this out first hand and go through phases of not even wanting to eat (even though I'm hungry often) because the food is the same and the supplements are the same and they are eaten/taken at the same time EVERYDAY.

So, I have taken it upon myself to try some different cooking methods. Tonight I am going to make baked sweet potato fries with just a splash of olive oil and Johny's seasoning (see recipe link below). I'm not much of a cook so let's hope this turns out ok! I am hoping that this will make it easier to eat sweet potatoes when I'm busy or on the run. The sad part is, I won't even get to try them until tomorrow as I have just finished my final meal for the day and am out of extra calories (another depressing fact).

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Baked-Sweet-Potato-Sticks-2/Detail.aspx

In other news, after meeting with our posing coach this weekend and not only going through our poses but our body fat as well, we decided that for me to look my best I should be at 8% body fat and around 103 pounds. This will be a huge challenge for me. After adjusting my calories to lose about 2 pounds this week to get on track with this goal, I am at a mere 1400 calories while still working out twice a day (lifting weights/ 50 minutes of cardio). We'll see where I end up on Saturday morning!