Training Update (or MAN! am I Hungry.....)

Alright guys.....no I haven't died or given up :) I have just been SO busy and when I am not busy, I am exhausted! I'm still working at it, still getting ready for September.

So the latest is-I was making great progress and then all of the sudden I hit a wall on fat loss. This was super dis-heartening-as I am sure you can imagine. However, being a bull-headed, know-it-all, is sort of what I am all about, so I just changed up my diet (AGAIN). We'll see where that gets me over the next week or two. In fact, I am going to use the diet my training partner/best bud fixed up for me while getting ready for my High School reunion last summer. I easily stripped down to 124 with way less effort than I am putting forth now. It includes lots more carbs, with a slight reduction in protien to make up for the calories. I can keep switching this thing up until the last two weeks; that's when it has either worked or not. If not, I may need to consider hiring someone to do a diet for me again. I don't know, maybe nearing 40 has just changed my ability to burn off fat to the point where I need a totally new diet. Maybe I am not working hard enough; I won't lie, that is a possibility. There is so much going on in other areas of my life it is very difficult to give this the attention that it requires. BUT, I will continue on for now. I still have time and I am not that bad off.


I don't have a whole set of pictures for "before", but I took a couple of myself this morning:







My mid section is coming in fine. I am happy with the progress there. I was looking at some progress photos from my last competition at about the same weeks out and it really looks like I am in about the same condition-fat wise-so that was good news. Awesomely though, it seems there is a chance I am going to be competing at a much higher weight than previously. I have always weighed in around 114 when competing. If I had to guess at this point I will probably be closer to 118-120 on stage this time. I knew I had put on some size since my previous adventure, but I didn't know it was going to be like 5 pounds. That is really great! It's nice when hard work pays off :) As an aside-that arm shot just doesn't do justice to my progress in that area. My arms look great. My tri's are coming in fantastic and my shoulders are awesome-although shoulders are my best body part by far-so they always look good.

The one thing I have completely blown off (oh and it WILL come back to haunt me) is the routine. I must get my music and the routine picked out. I don't even know if it is a 60 or 90 second routine. I can't pick a song. I love "Something in Your Mouth", a song off the new Nickleback album, but the connotations of the song might be a little much. I always lean toward AC/DC-they just rock. Paul would like me to do it to "Ballbreaker" which is amusing to me-plus it is a little slower than the Nickleback song, which makes it easier to pose to. I like "Thunderstruck" too. I mean really......that's what I'm talking about, right :) Last time I did Silvertide-which I could do again and would mean I wouldn't have to come up with a new routine-but that seems boring. I want a new routine and song. I just don't want the work. So sad. I was also looking at "Back in Black" I already have that song cut the way I want it for a routine. I was planning a routine to that cut the last time I was on stage. Then I opted to stay with what I already had at the last minute.....for exactly this reason. I procrastinated to the last minute then too. Grrrr. Stop it!

For the most part my attitude has been ok. I'm sure I have been a little more grumpy at times, but honestly, overall, I feel like I am only tired more so than bitchy. That is good news for my family and clients :) I have only had one or two days where I have really just wanted to punch everyone who talks to me. I should really be easy to get along with now since I am changing up the diet to include more carbs for a while. That is usually where the issue comes in-no or super low carbs makes you so foggy it is hard to function, which in turn just makes people more irritating.

The workouts are going just fine. I have little to report there except I am training very heavy and very hard. I rarely have issue with the training. That is the part I really love. I love getting stronger. I love looking fit. I love lifting weights-it makes me feel powerful!

Don't forget-"Winners do what losers won't!"

Training Update

These are the supplements I take with breakfast. I'm supposed to be taking three each of the Livers and Aminos (the brown and white mammoth pills) but right now my stomach can't take that, so, I'm easing into it.

I know it has been a few days. I'm still here....just a little more tired and a little weaker :)

Everything is still humming along just fine. I have dropped roughly 6 lbs in 9 days. At this point in the game, I can live with that progress. The diet is always the hardest, but so far, so good. I'm not really fighting too many cravings-except salt. Salty snacks are really my weakness anyway, but when I am dieting-it is almost unbearable how bad I want salt. Some of that is attributable to the fact that my diet is very low sodium, I'm sure; some if it is just because you always want what you can't have.......and I have yet to find a competition diet (that works) that is full of potato chips and hard salami. (mmmmm)

Training is going fine. I never have difficulty with that part. Other than the actual exercises used, I train most days even when I'm not competing anyway-so that's no biggie. Some days I can really go hard and heavy and some days, I definitely do not have it. Today will be a leg day-those are always tough. My leg routine right now looks like this:

All tri-sets (Three different exercises, performed one right after the other, no rest until all three are done. Rest two minutes and do it again-three iterations.)

(Heavy 12,10,8 reps)

• Leg Extensions (aprox 90, 100, 105-lbs)
• Lying Hamstring Curl (aprox 75, 85, 90-lbs)
• Standing Calf Raise (aprox 155, 195, 205-lbs)
  

• Barbell Squat (aprox 95, 105, 115-lbs)
• Romanian Deadlift (aprox 90, 95, 100-lbs)
• Seated Calf Raise (aprox 115, 135, 160-lbs)
  

• Leg Press (aprox 140, 160, 180-lbs)
• One-Leg Hamstring Curl (60,70,80-lbs)
• Calf Press (on leg machine) (aprox 140, 160, 180-lbs)
  

I did not do cardio this morning. I was so wiped out yesterday after cardio and shoulders, I thought maybe I should save my energy this morning and do legs first-right after breakfast when I get some carbs. I will probably run tonight or maybe even this afternoon (before lunch) and tonight, depending on how I feel I am holding up. One thing I don't want to do is burn out right off the bat.