Posing and Routine, Second Time Around

Today I went to see Jo about my routine for the show in October. I am delighted with the piece of music I have chosen for this one - I feel like it really "speaks" to me, so I am looking forward to having fun with this one! She thinks my back is definitely wider than last time and my posing has improved a lot. Yippee!

I have invested in another pair of figure shoes - these ones are more comfortable and Jo was laughing at me doing the dance of joy in new happy feet.

My other big news is that I have a great friend "on the bus" with me - Anne is doing her first physique comp and Jo had her posing really well - my favourite was the front double lat spread, wowsa!

I know I have been quiet on the blog scene too - but I'm looking forward to catching up with everyone in more detail when I get back.

The Flu

Update of the day is that my cold has developed into flu like symptoms, so total rest day for me. Lots of fresh vegetables and fruit today and telling myself that "this too shall pass".

really pleased

I'm really pleased to be back in Brisbane for 2 weeks. I'm struggling with a nasty cold though. Still that hasn't stopped me from doing weights. PB on bench press today - I am consistently stronger than I ever have been. Weight is down today, all is on track for October!

Comparison pics (16 weeks out January)

Hope there are some differences between last time and this time. I badly wanted more back muscles!

14 to 15 weeks out

Here I am 15 or 14 weeks out from INBA Queensland Championships depending how you look at it. I say 14 weeks because to me, the final 7 days doesn't count...ie you should have "arrived" in the leanness stakes by then. I'm heavier at this stage than I was last time and I must admit nerves creeping in...can I do this again? Was competing the first time really a fluke? Plus I have the challenge of the remote location!

Anyway, trained really well today - went for my early morning walk - I don't hurry, rather just enjoy the fresh air 80mins; run easy 35 mins
RT
Back:
Chin ups 4 x 6 (ouch!)
Deadlifts with glute emphasis 3 x10
Lat Pull down to front, varying grips: 4 x 8
Seated row (narrow) 4 x9/8/7
BOSU planks
hyperextensions with glute emphasis
Dips 4 x8
Tricep push down with my own rope rigged up to machine 2 x10

On the bus again!

Whenever I am about to take action in reducing my % body fat, I refer to it as "Getting on the Bodybuilding Bus". With tomorrow being officially 14 weeks out and the fact I've gained a kilo in a week, I've decided that action had better begin sooner, rather than later. My aim is to lose about 1/3 kg per week or one pound and I have 5 kg to lose to get me into competition shape. I came in at 53.4kg when weighed at the competitors meeting last time, so if I came in a smidge higher, yet leaner, I would be totally ecstatic!

1I will get DH to take some photos and we are off and running!I'm going fairly moderate this week - just cutting out wheat/gluten and subbing with potatoes. I seem to react really badly to bread - getting really nasty IBS when I eat a lot of it - it's so much easier though having a piece of toast than a potato!

I'm off home again for 2 weeks on Sunday and going to be continuing the focus on resistance training. I've had tremendous gains in strength over the past few weeks - a real positive! As some of the other bloggers mention, the gaining weight/fat after competition does play with your head somewhat - but it is necessary for good health and a happy menstrual cycle. I'm not feeling too happy about my huge PMS chin zit though!

My other news is that I've picked up another PT client who wants me to prepare her for the Sportsmodel Division of the INBAs in October. I haven't seen her yet, so I cannot say for sure whether it is on or not but the extra dollars that my PTing is bringing in is very handy. I'm now up to four clients without any advertising.

Training Thursday

Today's photo is of Jelena Abbou who also posts with Lissa at the Complete Fitness forum (must find address and add link). Berns from Passionfruit Designs makes Jelena's suits and I love how she has stoned this particular suit. I'm trying imagine how long it would take to put all of those crystals on!

Training today:
Teach indoor cycling class 45 mins ( I still have hacking cough and it was pretty darn unpleasant!) Also gave them 15 mins of body weight conditioning training.

RT - chest and shoulders
Incline Dumbell press 3 x 8
Pec deck 3x10
BOSU straight leg push up with hand placement variation 3x12
Push press 3x 10
Lateral raise 3x8
Upright row 2 x8

As Lia would say, I enjoyed an off plan splurge of apple and raspberry crisp with low fat yoghurt. I've gone off chocolate for now :)

Done and dusted!

Another day done and dusted! I am physically and mentally preparing myself for ACTION and I can't wait! I am really going to focus on having some fun in this next comp - I know that I am never going to be destined for figure stardom, but I can really aim to improve from last time and have a lot of fun whilst doing it! Specifically I really want to work on posing and routine and adding in more pilates/glute work in the next 14 weeks. I am going to stone my blue suit and can't wait to start that project off.

I am meeting with Jo next week and she is going to help me with my new routine - I think I have chosen music now, so it's all systems go! Plus she is going to make me smaller bottoms for my suit.

Training today:
30 min easy run

Back and triceps:
close grip pull ups 3x8/8/6 supersetted with BOSU defensive squats ( ala Cathe Friedrich, pictured )
barbell pullovers 3 x10 supersetted with explosive BOSU 180 squats
dumbbell one arm row: 3x 8 supersetted with leg curls

Tricep giant set:
pushdowns, dips, BOSU push ups 3x12 of each (ouch!)

I'm really enjoying all the BOSU work I've prescribed for myself and am noticing some real improvements in glute stability. Now to add in some heavier deadlifts to see how my butt responds.

Things you may not have known about me . . . .

A) Four jobs I have had in my life:
1. exercise physiologist/group fitness/personal trainer
2. peeling prawns for a Japanese restaurant
3. pharmacist
4. night fill at Woollies- good money, terrible hours!

B) Four movies I would watch over and over
1. Lord of the Rings
2. Harry Potter
3. Star Wars
4. The Incredibles (not by choice, OK?)
C) Four places I have lived
1. Sunshine Coast
2. Vancouver, Canada
3. Brisbane
4. Biloela

D) Four TV shows I love to watch:
1. Lost
2. Desperate Housewives
3. The Amazing Race
4. Border Security

E) Four places I have been on vacation:
1. Singapore
2. Hong Kong
3. New Zealand
4. USA

F) Websites visited daily:
1. www.physique-essentials.com
2. http://girlgetsitdone.blogspot.com/
3. www.leannesslifestyle.com
4. www.ebay.com.au

G) Four of my favourite foods:
1. Oats and protein breakfast
2. Grilled salmon with greens
3. vanilla bean icecream
4. prawns grilled with sweet chilli sauce

H) Four places I would rather be right now:
1. Fitness First teaching RPM
2. Reading a great book at a great cafe
3. Being pampered from head to toe
4. Having a get together with friends


Four people I think will respond
1. Rae
2. Rachel
3. Jodi
4. Andj

Heck, the girl can eat!

I've just logged my food over at LL and have come to the crashing realization that deprivation is not in my vocabulary. Taking action again so soon is going to be weird, but hopefully I will have more calories to play around with this time than last time. I ate the equivalent of one mini meal extra for the last comp as compared to my LL Bootcamp and I'm hoping to elicit a good response on even more than that.

Here's what I ate today:
1)Oats (40g), 1/2 cup skim milk, 3/4 scoop protein powder
2)Fruit snack pack and 1/2 HPLC bar
3)5 egg white,1egg omelette with 1 cup mushrooms, 1 cup spinach and tomato, 2 slices "Seven" cheese
1/2 slice toast
4)orange pumpkinand poppy seed protein muffin + 3 corn thins, 1/2 cup cottage cheese, 1/4 jar spreadable tuna and cucumber
5) Lamb berbere 170g total vol, 1/2 cup brown rice, 1 cup green beans
6) Navel orange

Training today:
1 hour moderate walk
40 mins strength training (chest and shoulders)
Bench press 3x 9/8/7 40kg
Incline bench 3 x 9/8/7
Decline Flyes 10kg 3x 10
Behind neck press 23kg 3x8
Side Lat raises 6/5 3 x 12
Upright row on BOSU 20kg + 3x10

I had some real motivation issues coming back to the "freezer box" of a gym today - it was very cold, but I got through my workout OK. My biggest drama is not trolling and picking at food - I got really busy again with "admin" today and managed to stay on task and out of the kitchen. I am much better in action. Maintenance is much harder for me.

Lissa

Here is a photo of Lissa ( www.alissacarpiofitness.com ) , who I "met" on another fitness board. Lissa has had an incredible journey and in the time I have known her, gained an incredible 4 kg of muscle (over about two years). She is hoping to turn pro in fitness at the NPC "Team Universe" event in July. This photo is from last year's NPC Nationals where Lissa swept the field in the physique round - as you can see why!

Today was spent doing administration - in my case that is about five loads of washing I brought back with me from our Brisbane trip! I still have a ton of paperwork to sift through, but training comes first! My day will look like this - Spinervals in the early am (aerobic base training only) and chest, shoulders and biceps from 9am to 10am. Then it's off to the kindy to share morning tea with Georgia and hopefully I will get a chance to attack the paper tiger after that.

Ready to fly!

I am back home and have finally had a chance to catch up with everyone's blogs, particularly the other competitors.

I had an absolutely wonderful time this week and caught up with lots of my Fitness First friends and family. I got to teach a couple of RPM classes and even had Andj come and do my Saturday morning class which was a real treat. We caught up and had morning tea with my great mate Anne and her kids, Samantha and Jonathon. Unfortunately poor Jonathon was sick everywhere - I think it is the season for sickness, as we all have colds here - so best we all have the dreaded lurgy at the same time, rather than one by one.

DH and I resolved quite a lot of issues on the move front and it is looking very positive that we will be transferred back to Brisbane in January and that it has been the intention of his employer for this to happen all along. If I know that I am only up here for a short time, then I feel so much better.

What I did notice were improvements I had made in my training and a few people thought I had added size to my shoulders, so I was happy to hear that. What has really helped me is knowing that Lia is training in freezing conditions as well.

My plan is not to start leaning out until the third week of July which gives me another 3 solid weeks to try and add more muscle. I ran into Deanne Miller who works with me at Fitness First and who came second at the INBA Nationals last year. She has done a fantastic job of adding more muscle and I cannot wait to see what she looks like this year. Like every other competitor, I am going to be getting busy with music, costumes and routine. I think I have decided on music and Jo is going to help me with choreography. I have my black suit by www.passionfruitdesigns.com and a blue velvet suit that Jo cut for me which isn't yet embellished. I wouldn't mind buying the crystals myself and embellishing Jo's suit, but I fear the bottoms are cut too big, so I'm going to ask her for a second opinion. I'm not ready for g-string territory but I don't want a huge bottom either!

Going insane and loving it!

Just a quick checkin to say I am soaking up the RPM love this week. I've done two classes already and back and triceps. Tomorrow I am teaching Bodystep and doing chest and biceps. I will be going home absolutely whacked and bathing in DOMS, but I love it!
Training yesterday: team teach RPM with Toni
Back:
Chin ups (pronated grip), Close grip pulldowns, seated cable rows, reverse ab curls
Today:
RPM
Triceps: Dips (unassisted), Incline French Press, Tricep push down ladder, med ball push ups ;)

Just believe

This is one of the professional shots taken of me at the Girl Comp. When I feel fat, discouraged or feel like all hope is lost, I look at this picture and am amazed that I, mother of the ten and a half pounder and certain tummy tuck candidate, turned out the way I did.

Putting the "go" in Vertigo!

My, I have been on a cardio bender this week! It's not surprising really as I do have an endurance background. This morning, I did Spinervals Aero Base Builder 17, walked to the gym and back because it was so beautiful out (about 5kms or so) and then did a cracking interval training workout on the treader - covered 5km in 22:45 which I was pretty happy with. Then I did chest, shoulders and biceps for RT. I am supersetting lots of glute work in, trying to improve my glutes bearing in mind my recovery from my rather horrific hip problems.

Incline Bench Press DB -17.5kg (I think) 3 x10, supersetted with BOSU defensive squats -- really focused on glute medius during these sets 3 x10 either side.
Pec Deck - unsure of weights but 3 x10 supersetted with chair BOSU squats, 2x10, then plyo BOSU squat jumps 1x10
BOSU straight leg push up with hand placement variation 3 x12 supersetted with pilates inspired single leg stretches on the BOSU.

As you can tell, I love the BOSU - it just adds intensity, particularly good for me as I do not have much choice with weight selection here.

I was pretty thrilled with my workout today, I have really really improved my strength despite being such a cardio maniac. Four weeks to go until I start leaning out and hoping that I can make even more inroads into my strength.

My other big news is that I am going home for 8 days and leaving tomorrow. Probably won't get much chance to update blog, but Andj, if you're around and want to share a thorough caning on the bike, I'll probably be living at Fitness First all of next week! Yippy skippy!

Sucking it up in Shitsville

Today I taught my own choreographed indoor cycling class, but felt really flat and depressed today. I think that I am totally over the moving thing. I have moved seven times in the last nine years and I've had quite enough. The worst part for me is missing all of my friends and the routine of my old life. What isn't helping is my luck in running into some of the most anally retentive people imaginable. I'm sure that there are decent people out there, I unfortunately have yet to meet them. I really feel sorry for people married to partners in the Military - moving isn't as bad when you have work to keep you occupied but here I cannot work in my profession. It's driving me nuts!

Anyway, rant over - going to knuckle down tomorrow and get a good day's training and eating under my belt. Better than sitting on the couch feeling sorry for myself! Right now, I need to see this figure journey through and focus on the quote below.

“Winning isn't always finishing first. Sometimes winning is just finishing" Manuel Diotte

I am such a dork

I have just realized that if I hit "moderate comments" all comments about my blog will appear! So please forgive me if it looks like I am ignoring everyone's kind words. This photo was taken by Andj at the Girl Thing Show. I love it because I think it makes my legs look really good and my belly scarring is not too noticeable in this pic. The blue suit pic was taken the morning of the show. Looking back, I should have carbed up a bit more on the Friday night and taken some resistance bands in to pump up with - in the whole rush, the only pumping up I did were some push ups.

I'm off to bed now and ready to suck it up in the cold tomorrow morning! Now that I know I have a partner doing it in Melbourne, I have so much more incentive to get up!

Figure in Disguise

Yesterday's session looked more like that of a triathlete than a figure gal. I got up early and did Spinervals 3.0 "Suffer O Rama". 45 minutes of tempo work and all out anaerobic efforts! Then I did 20 minutes of what I call "Crazy Intervals" on the treadmill - worked with the music I was listening to and changed all the variables (incline and speed) to suit the lyrics of the music - awesome fun. It is about 4 degrees in the gym so I think of Lia sucking it up at her base gym in the freeze without complaint and tell myself "if she can do it, so can I!"

Then Shoulders/Bis
Behind Neck Press 22.5kg 3x 11/10/9
Side Lateral Raise 6kg 3x11/10.9
Upright row 20kg 3x 11
I supersetted these with Lying Leg Curls and Deadlifts.

Today has been a low intensity day - walking - to gym, school, kindy, to shops and back - total of about 90 minutes. I also trained my client.

RT - Back/traps
Pronated grip wide Lat Pull Down: 3 + bricks 3 x11/10/9
Barbell Pull over (yuck) : 20kg 3x11
One Arm DB Row: 14kg 3x11/10/9
Shrugs: 16kg 3 x10
supersetted with:
Hack Squat
ball ab extension
hyperextensions with glute focus

I'm really not too sure about the weights. Most of them aren't marked with actual poundages. All I know is that this week my strength has gone through the roof, so I am hoping that this translates into muscle gain. I have gained 1kg in the last week, so if some of it is not fat, then I am totally happy.

Hmm, now half way through my 12 weeks of muscle gaining! Hope there is noticeable difference in six weeks time :)

Being a food whore (again)

Photo of the day is what I ate for dinner. It's seared tuna on baby leaf spinach and it's about 300 calories with 23g carb and 48g protein. I buy "Ocean Monarch" frozen tuna kebabs from Woollies. I can't trust the supposedly "fresh" seafood here - it doesn't look too good at all.

Weight is still up, but training was good today.
I did Spinervals 17 again this morning and I really feel like my "exercise mojo" is beginning to return as I can pop this DVD in, close the door, have the heater on for awhile and really forget that it's minus 2 everywhere else in the house.

I also went for an easy run to warm up pre strength training.

Today I did
1) Bench press 5/6.25 s 11/10/9 supersetted with glute extensions on the BOSU
2) Incline bench press 2.5s/5s 11/10/9 supersetted with chair squats on BOSU
3) Decline flyes 10kg 3x 11 supersetted with defensive lateral plyo squats on BOSU
4) Preacher curl 17.5kg 3x10 supersetted with single leg stretch on BOSU

Also got some admin done today - I have four birthdays this week, so bought cards and sent money orders - there is nothing worth buying here in Mordor for anyone. Though I was totally surprised to see that the newsagent stocked Muscle and Fitness Hers :)

Home Workouts - Spinervals DVDs

Today I braved the cold and tried a Spinervals workout. Basically Spinervals are technical DVDs aimed at improving cycling technique. This one wasn't as hard as some of the others I have tried, however I really had to focus on my technique as the session is over 70 minutes long. Aerobic conditioning helps the body utilize fatty acids both at rest and during training and I am one of those mavericks that likes to do a lot of cardio.

The weather is preventing me from doing as much as I would like to, but that is a good thing when trying to build more muscle. I am planning on kicking into gear in July, so I have a month of easier cardio to look forward to. Coach Troy has five aero base builder DVDs all of varying lengths and once I master all of them, I am going to attempt "Tough Love" which is a three hour interval training workout.

What else, tried a new Beef Casserole and might just post the pic of it tomorrow. I am actually enjoying the challenge of eating clean and being a gourmet at the same time. I want to stay in shape pretty much year round - my hope being that really enjoying everything I eat stops craving, bingeing and trolling - though for me, keeping busy really helps too.

Cold here

Have been in the mood for some cooking here. Here is Ethiopian Lamb Berbere.

Here's how to make it:
1-2 cloves garlic
2 onions
500g lamb (I am going to add more next time)
3 cups chopped pumpkin
1 cup dried green lentils (soaked)
1 bottle tomato passata puree
3 tablespoons Ethiopian Berbere Spice mix (I used "Alexandra's" - comes from NZ)
1-2 scant tablespoons flour

Dredge lamb in flour and brown in non stick pan - put into casserole. Then saute onion and garlic in water and add this and other ingredients to pot and simmer for 3-4 hours. This serves four.