Goodbye Figure; Hello NPC Fitness!

This new high volume high rep stuff is whipping my ass thoroughly.  Yesterday (Wednesday) I did 40 minutes track running at a high school a few blocks away; I did average 6.2 mph for 34 min with a brisk walk x 4 minutes to warm up, and a two minute cool down walk.  My husband Damon protests this stripping down of my legs, he doesn’t prefer the wide upper bod and toothpick thighs trend that seems to occur here in Colorado, he’s been to every show of the 7 Ive done and many of the shows friends of ours have done. We both prefer the figure/fitness physiques of the early 2000s to mid 2000s when you were allowed to be more muscular, more vascular, and be more separated.

I carry a ****-ton of actual muscle in my thighs, and glutes, so when off season, even 8-10 lbs of extra cushion makes me appear thicker in the lower body, since I’m estrogen dominant I really carry any weight at all in only my hips, glutes, thighs.  When I diet down for shows, always around week 6 I lose the overly curvy bod and start to square out everywhere but still maintain a shelf-ass, or bubble butt whatever-the judges want me to shrink my bubble butt.  I will be in regards to my upper body and back, soooo ****ing lean, with my face falling off of my skull and my arms look like twigs and I’m readimng in at 11% bf but that extra 2% the judges want gone must sit just on my ass.So getting this just exactly right is really important to me.  I have brutally abused my body and lost 12-20 lbs 7 different times; two shows ago I was slacking and having to drop 20 in 12 weeks is really harsh and not beneficial.  I did my last show really well, had an 8-pack abs going, but then ****ed up peak week somehow. Live and learn I guess.

Dance class is awesome; who knew I could be dainty?!  I sweat like a pig after these classes, and I feel and look like a wrestler next to these lithe, slender, totally shapeless women.  My mind has so become accustomed to seeing and appreciating the slightest hint or peek of muscle, I cant imagine being all straight and shapeless again. I decided I love pink light.  Seriously, once you’re dieted down for a show or you just want to look great nude, try a pink light; it creates the most stunning glow effect on the skin, corrects and hides flaws, and the muscles are so visible!  Only a physique competitor would notice such a thing, but there’s a reason they use pink lights in burlesque shows and runway.  They have pink lights at the dance studio, we all look like we’re in a dream sequence.

At the gym I did 3 sets of 20, yes, 20 reps of each of the following

Alternating bicep curls with 20s

Decline Skull Crusher BB w/ 30 lbs

Concentration Curls w/ 20s

Overhead Tricep Extensions w/ 25s

EZ bar cable curls @ 45 lbs

EZ Bar Triceps pressdown @ 60

Decline sit ups w/ 15 lb weight 3 x 25

Weighted seated overhead crunch machine

40 lbs x 3 sets of 25

Post work out cardio x 20 min step mill level 7 (HRR 138-144)

Since I started high rep and running, my body is so hard all the time; even with about 9 lbs to lose, it feels very flexy and rigid, I like it! My ass shows it when I dont lift weight at least 5x a week, 3-4 x hitting the gym a week in the winter doesn’t cut it, that weight creeps on~!  Anyway, if all goes well, I will be in the tattoo chair at 4 today to do my upper back cover up, plus add on of another piece! One kid has a basketball game, he doesn’t play, hes in the band; and my little girl cant stay home alone, so may be accompanying me to the tattoo shop.  She has see me pierce my lip, my tongue, my face, all of it, she’s very analytical, doesn’t freak out.  My mom, who is only 51, is covered in tats, some small some large, but panics about a piercing.  She’s a biker, but they even have a line apparently.  I didn’t see my mom at all from 14 years old until after my son was born and he was seven months old, and thats when I was 17, she wasnt well and we didnt even talk for those 3 1/2 - 4 years.  It took years to rebuild our friendship so we could be close now, I am glad she is back in my life and healthy and even embarking on a weight loss journey; she struggled and overcame a lot of her own demons the last 20 years, and she cares for my only sibling, hes 27 now but he had a brain tumor and a stroke at 12 and 14 and cannot care for himself.  He’s coherent and physically able, but he’s about 13 mentally.  I just say all this as its her birthday and she reads these and I thought she should know Im proud of her <3

So I go to bed at 11:54 last night, get up at 4:15 and am at the gym near my house by 5:06, that’s AM.  There is some super peppy crew powerlifting and scream-encouraging eachother to go for PRs.  I decide I look like **** at this time of morning, hide beneath my hoodie and walk through "Team too ****ing early" to get to the free weights to do some back, rear delt, front delt, heavy ab work.  I was done by 6:30 back home to get the small people to school and get my stuff together for the day.

2nd boob consultation today; we did the measuring and software visual manipulation already at the first appointment; yeah digital me looks great with DDs doc, but think I will stick with exactly a full D thanks.  I am at about 70% of my financial goal to get these things done! Go in thinking its $5k, think again… you can get them cheaper and through unregulated lenders and shady doctors, but certain parts of my body I’d like to be top of the line, not haggling my titties, lol.  Besides I researched and hunted around, I know who did Heather Mae French’s and Heather Armbrust as well as close friends whos have also been done by Heather Armbrust’s doc and I am likely going with them.  I will post their cool links and info as the date draws nearer.  Today is a more hands on touchy feely measuring session, a deposit for an appointment and a final $$. Ugh.  I will have my surgery date though and at the request of a few ladies Im going to give you the play by play of what happens when you go through this type of procedure.  I’m so excited!

Every week, Thursday and Saturday is band practice, and being metal, lots of people will not call what I do singing, although I DO perform actaul songs, alongside a pianist for another act we have, its blues, and old school Etta James lounge music, think Alecia Keys, Norah Jones, or Adele; for our main band, its metal, and its industrial metal, so the intent is to sound throaty, masculine and angry; it isnt hard or difficult, but its very physically demanding and it hurts.  Not to mention the days of losing my voice~  So a lady we know who loves metal, but is a traditional vocal coach, is helping me to strengthen my vocal cords through very normal, classic training; apparently having a big mouth, and being by nature sort of loud, obnoxious and hyper, is finally of benefit in some way!  Now I have taught group exercise classes since 2005, and its quite common for us intructors to have whats called ‘vocal injury’ from speakimng and teaching; especially when I taught a 30 min ABS class for almost two years; I had to learn when and how to speak to not injur my voice.  But this lady is kicking my ass with the training, in less than 2 weeks I am clearer, louder, and have much more endurance vocally than a month ago.  I am totally sold on vocal coaching no matter what type of music you perform, or if you’re a public speaker for a living, so worth it.

Tattoo is being totally designed and I will be in the chair this Thursday at 3 \m/ its a cover up, add on, moderately large back piece.  WILL video and share pics.  He wanted a couple days to draw it up really nice

Well I dropped a pound and a half this week; did cardio 5x for 40 min each, relatively low to moderate intensity-and trained with weights, high volume/rep moderate weight supersets 5x this week.  In addition, I attended hip-hop dance class twice, for 45 min each as per fitness training; and Bikram (hot as hell) yoga for flexibility training twice for as long as I could stand it without puking, the first session was 22 minutes, the second was 35.

I have to say the switch to high volume, high rep, low rest supersets is really having an excellent effect on my body; it seems to tighten up and start showing definition quite fast.  Stripping the lower body of muscle, is so incredibly painful.  This too though, has such an immediate visual reward, which sometimes is all I have that keeps me lifting. The leg training is so brutal, bulgarian this and that and tons of plyo, plyo, very important for fitness to be highly, highly aerobically conditioned, one of the boggest aspects I’ll be judged on and in the end of this training, just endless burn.

I went to my tat appointment, to cover up the two little tatttoos I have on each shoulder blade; now I dislike them and have for years ~ but I loooove, love, love tats; on men or women, and yes when done well and worn appropriatly they are such an artistic expression.  Before anyone says it, they are able to be covered when competing by different products, like dermablend, diaderm, and colortration; layered within your fake paint on stage tan   There is even a website dedicated to inked up competitors, bodybuilders, and the like, called muscle ink; met one of the main models at Team U, who has a warrior mask, solid black on half his face and skull. and full black gauntlet forearms and he is a large, well built, well conditioned bodybuilder.  Now, all the face, a little much for me; but was it hot on him? Hell yes.  I am covering my two small tats, with a moderately large piece, something over each old tat, to balance the sides and then whats called pin-striping and filigree to connect it up on the back of my neck… he is designing it as we speak and my appointment is Thursday; His name is Moeh, he’s an incredible artist, highly recommended by a very inked lifelong friend of mine, and Lora is an artist and a photography student; and I hear he has a heavy hand, so I’m a little scared, but it’s worth it.  So many of the pin-up models, even those that do classic pin-up and lingerie, have really large tats, and some are just incredible pieces; the girls with tats are most often hired for edgy pin-up, bikini/swimwear and lingerie, anti-art, make-up artistry and art shows and  burlesque work, and the classic looking girls with none at all are hired for more classic pin-up its called and modest lingerie work and hair shows.  There is something out there for everyone, just have to find out what’s up in or around you.

I tweet for a living, its very part time work lol, but I came across this; Roxy, the world’s first legitimate sex robot, that can have a rather intelligible conversation with its owner.   I dont know but when my 16 year old son brought this to my attention, I thought wtf are they going to have when he is my age, which is 33 incase you wondered.  The distance we have come since he was born in ‘93, during my Nirvana grunge phase and sporting a sweet beeper days; to now where its just incredible the leaps and bounds being made in technology.  I love this kind of ****, not so much in need of a sex robot, I have a perfectly working 31 year old man with all his working parts, lol, but check this **** out and see you tomorrow.

 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/10/roxxxy-sex-robot-photo-wo_n_417976.html

After training legs a couple days ago on Friday with Dylan Armbrust, I could walk, okay on Saturday; however Sunday my calves stopped working properly and I walked as though I had two fake legs.  I also cried out loud everytime I got up or down from my desk, or the toilet, or anything. Damn it was totally, 100 percent brutal.  The weights that he used made me snicker at first, I’m thinking ‘buddy, I lift twice that, for three sets’ and then he proceeded to hit me with that and three sets, of 20.  Forced reps and all.  He’s an excellent trainer, I am convinced I made the right decision for my prep this year.  The other teams I have been on, have been all beneficial in their own individual ways, but I have never been on where one does the nutrition, they actually kick your ass all to hell in the gym, and then tanning, traceling to shows with you, all of it, its awesome.  Heather Armbrust, 2nd Place Olympia Female BodyBuilder is his wife, and she is training at the gym in the evening around the same time I do, and she is less than 8 weeks out from the pro show.  Dylan said that Heather is set on bringing a consistently 1st place physique at every show this season.  She looks incredible to me!  I have seen Heather Mae French as well, I mentioned she will be doing our weekly posing clinics for the Armbrust team, so really excited about that!  She is just about the teeny tiniest figure pro I’ve ever met!

When I trained with Dylan we did deep wide squats in the rack not the smith, 3 sets of 20, 1-1-1 pace and man, he was nearly picking me up at the end.   We also did single leg presses, unilateral curls, extensions, supersets with forward alternating lunges, and ended with calf raises from hell.  Very little rest.  I guess we’re going to tear my legs down no matter what.

Skipped any type of lifting on Saturday, but did use the stairmaster for low intensity (HRR 126-134) for 40 minutes, stepping deep and slow focusing on the heel of each foot.  Sunday as I said I was broken, totally broken’ legs were swollen and tight and full of water; today they feel and look great!  Love that

Monday Night

warmed up on treadmill at 15% incline, 10 minutes to get blood flowing through my legs again.

Back/Delts

Bent over EZBar Row

65 lbs x 20 x 20 x20 (2 sets reverse palms up grip; one set palms down wide grip)

Unilateral Bent over DB Row, with squeeze at top

35s x 15  35s x 15  35s x 15  35s x 15

Wide Grip o-Ring grip lat pull down

75 x 20  75 x 20 (drop sets) 70 x 18  70 x 18  65 x 18

Seated Triangle grip row

90 x 15  90 x 15  90 x 15  90 x 15

Seated overhead DB shoulder Press superset with front delt overhead plate raises (35 lb plate)

35s x 12  35s x 12  35s x 12 (drop sets) 30s x 12  30s x 12 (overhead press)

35 x 12  35 x 12  35 x 12  35 x 10  35 x 8 (front plate raise)
BB Upright Row, wide grip

50 x 20  50 x 20  50 x 20 (slow)

DB Lateral Raises (slow)

25s x 12  25s x 12  25s x 12 (drop sets) 20s x 12  17.5s x 11  15s x 10
 Hanging Bent Knee Raises to Chest (slow)

3 sets 20, 1 set 17

Hanging Side Raises w/ squeeze

3 sets 12 each side

Hanging Straight Legged Raises, hip level

3 sets 10, slow

may start selecting a photo, quote or some other cheesy thing of the day, some days maybe none. They may likely have nothing to do with fitness/bodybuilding, maybe just photography or random happiness who the hell knows. Ran out of good ones several journals ago, but have gathered quite a collection from work albums and such.

Diet still clean and steady, dropped a lb but dont count it yet, dont weigh again until Saturday.

bye for now…

Well howdy I haven’t been on BodySpace in almost a month; and it shows, I really missed reading the daily blogs and forum threads I have become addicted to.  Most are really motivating and I enjoy reading them immensely, sometimes I read **** here that just blows my mind, people contradicting themselves, or making little remarks that let their true colors shine through.  Most often though, everyone is really inspiring, no bull****.

I realized I hadnt updated my BodySpace info, stats and all that jive in a long ass time, so I did that,check it out, a few new things, a few new PRs in my stats; but other than that, its still me

I have signed on to train AND prep for NPC Fitness competition with Dylan Armbrust; he is the trainer and husband to IFBB Pro Heavyweight Bodybuilder Heather Armbrust, who just took 2nd at the OLYMPIA!  In addition, I will also have the privelage of posing weekly with the instruction of IFBB Figure Pro Heather Mae French, who just took 3rd at the OLYMPIA in Figure!  Her presentation is really graceful, incredibly sexy and she is beyond genuine and sweet in person to work with.  I have prepped with a team for three shows, and by myself for the last one (Team U) and now I am so freaking happy to be a part of this team; surrounded by Olympian’s, come on, cant beat that for motivation!  In addition its really a treat to prep alongside Phil Heath, another BB Pro that is really a genuine, down to Earth guy; and amazing to watch, his physique is a work of art for sure!condition

I had my first training session with Dylan Armbrust today; LEGS.  Holy ****, I think he broke me!  He trains high rep, high weight, high volume and very little rest, tons of deep stretching between every set ~ and I LITERALLY wobbled the **** out of the gym.  If anyone is going to get this ass as tiny and as tight and these legs as streamlined as they need to be, he will be the one to do it!  He said we are going to get my quads and legs overall stripped down a bit and again streamlined and come in looking ridiculous.  I am starting my prep really far out for fitness, as I need to be in super-human  condition for this summer and nothing is going to be an obstacle to me.

I train with him again next week and he will do my nutrition then as well.  As for now I am eating 6 meals, 2 with carbs, one in the AM and one before my gym work out.  I’m eating only green/fibrous veggies, about 3 cups a day; and those carbs consist of 1/2 cup dry oatmeal + 1/2 grapefruit in the AM and my pre-workout meal is 4 oz protein with either 2/3 cup brown rice, 1/2 large sweet potato, or 1 thick piece homemade zucchini "bread" (prep recipe that = 27g carbs/0 sugar from oats).  Two of my meals are actually whey/casein protein shakes, I love Gaspari Myofusion and IsoPure Green Tea RTD the most.  I eat a bit of fat with every meal, either natural peanut butter, avocado, or rarely olive oil.  I cant wait to see what my diet will be next week, and then 16 weeks out from my regional show this summer to compete in Fitness, I will start my "official" prep diet, he’ll change it weekly then, and we will train weekly as well up until show day

Lots of other cool stuff going on in our world, and I can share more later, but have to feed this ten year old I have clinging to my arm as I type.  Back soon

OK I am all for staying motivated during the Christmas season, but it is literally 9 degrees outside.  My German Shepherds refused to go for their normal early walk, they just laid down and went belly up by the front door.

So, I type on the laptop while on my StairMaster in my living room, at level 5; not so easy a task.  My poor husband is in Wyoming working in 50+mph winds, and sub-zero temps; I really hate long haul/OTR.  I myself have had an influx of training clients in the last week or so; I had four clients that I train twice a week each, so that’s only 8 hours a week, when I use to train 35+ actual training hours each week, in addition to three group classes.  This last week I have gained two ladies, three times a week; and one college soccer player guy once a week for 90 minutes.  So awesome to have a nice training schedule on occasion; I am currently certified by as couple different nationally recognized agencies, in a lot of different stuff, but I am taking my ACSM cert next month, its one of the hardest and most comprehensive out there.  I am also looking into BodyJam or BodyCombat, both incredible work outs.  Eventually area gyms will start hiring again, and unless my client load is astoundingly impressive, like 30 hours a week on my own, I cannot wait to train for a facility again.  So much more variety, opportunity for different classes and work outs and services offered.

I will officially start prepping for all next year’s shows in January; I am currently eating really clean, and structured, with 2 cheat meals per week; this has been keeping me releativlty lean, compared to this time last year, when I was over 150 lbs!!!  I carry a ****-ton of muscle on my legs, glutes and back… but even so, 150 is awful; I like to stay under 138 or so all winter, this keeps me a size 6 and looking good.  Once I cross over 145, I start to feel pretty crappy, run down, lethargic.  There is definitly a notable difference in that 8-10 lb range.  This year I am teetering between 130 and 134, it seems to go up and down at will, but I’m fine with that.  I will be stage ready by the Arnold, which as I mentioned I am going to as a spectator with my husband and another competitor friend of mine.  Its my first time there at all, so its going to be so much fun~I intend to wear the tiniest outfit I can find, that doesn’t scream "whore", lol.

I have submitted several print articles, to major publications this last week; and will be sharing soon all the good news that comes with that!!  Very exciting stuff.  Work outs are good, lifting a 3 day on, 1 day off split; push/pull/legs… repping to failure, trying to hit 8-9 reps at failure.  Working lagging parts 4 sets to failure, and maintenance parts 3 sets 12-15 with drop sets.  Cardio is 6 times per week, 40 minutes each time; 3 steady state and 3 HIIT sessions.

Bye for now…

Just a quick check in to say I dropped 3 lbs this week for no good reason; albeit my diet was 90% clean, but with Thanksgiving and family and then two gigs (at the bar=beer and wings as only food)  I was quite shocked when I weighed in this morning!

I had intended to end my figure career at the Arnold, just for an excuse to go, and for a motivation to prep/lean out since my very good friend Siobhan was also intending to compete there.  However, I will be getting my breasts done in late February/Early March, going from a 34-A to a 36-D; with 42 inch delts and 36-37 inch hips, I can handle the size and also the prep coaches I am talking to and my little team of go-to peeps has convinced me to lean out and just attend the Arnold, to work a booth, be a spectator, but not compete~ I have a fashion show to participate in in Vegas that Friday night anyway; and to stay focused on my cross over to Fitness training and to just debut my fitness in the Spring/Summer of 2010 at a regional and then I intend to do North Americans and Team Universe; I have a little team of 10+ people comprised of fellow competitors in Figure, bodybuilding, and fitness and a few mma fighters that are all incredibly supportive and are steering me in all my current directions.  So 2010 is all about Fitness.
I am also currently, as of today lol, leaning out to get my ink done!!  Been waiting a couple years, to add a few large and custom pieces to my body, its not for everyone but to me its beautiful and to my husband nothing could be hotter so everyone else can suck it.  Most of my friends and my family are really supportive of getting quality tats done, my mom has 6 of her own, but my parents are bikers so it goes with the territory.  A lot of people ask about competing after getting a large piece, or a sleeve done, and the truth is the products out there now are excellent at covering tats and I have known many competitors, although mostly the guys, that are covered and manage to darken and cover those pieces 99% completely.  I am really excited and have a few other reasons for the big appearance change, but that news comes later.

My training has already changed a lot, focusing more on really hard circuits that lean out and tighten the body; since one thing I don’t need at all is size; only in my triceps am I wanting to gain; I am trying to strip and streamline my thighs, and tighten my middle up and keep my back and delts wide, and get my quads/hams to separate and lean out.  Been doing a lot of new to me exercises utilizing cables and hig rep combo movements.  I have trained old-school bodybuilder style, in every form or fashion for over 6 years now, and I love that type of training, but to get a change in my physique I have to change the training; have to say I am loving the weekly 90 minute dance classes, hip-hop, crunk, jazz and modern… makes anyone feel sexy as hell to move like that.

Back tomorrow Hope all had an awesome Thanksgiving; I have to say I am thankful as hell for my family, my kids, my current health, my NEW job, my home (lived the foster care nightmare), my car (the only non-pos we have ever had) and all the incredible opportunities that I have been given, from Bodybuilding.com, another site I mod for, in fitness, and recently in modeling, fashion, stage performance, and above all, in music; I hope this coming year it is finally our time.  Although I wouldn’t dare sitting around bitching about everything and always wanting more, that would seem, really, really selfish, and self serving; so I am content and thankful, and true.

It’s been a long while since I have posted in this blog; I decided to change that and follow my own oft given advice of being accountable to something/someone.  The someone’s never seem to work out, so I will go with the something.  I have been extraordinarily busy for the last several weeks, and I have several friends feeling neglected as is my blogging/writing duties.  As some may notice from my newly titled blog I will be switching from NPC Figure, after 5 regional shows, and one National… to NPC Fitness competition.  I plan to qualify in Fitness specifically next Spring/Summer in time to compete again at Team Universe, but this time in Fitness.  I fell in love with NYC and with all the people there, and the show was phenomenally run and went so smoothly.

I am hoping to soon be working with the owners of my current home gym, Dylan and Heather Armbrust. A few friends and former Figure/Team mates work with them now and just love it, Dylan is an absolute beast when it comes to training and the attention they give is really above and beyond IMO.  Heather just took 2nd at the 2009 Olympia in the Heavyweights , check her out
this is Dylan Armbrust, her husband and also owner of Armbrust Pro Gym

It’s a really inspiring gym, I have had the privilege of working out next to Phil Heath, 2 weeks out from the recent Olympia, and also quite often see the sweetest Figure Pro on Earth, Heather Mae French who also did really well at this year’s Olympia in Pro Figure.

Currently I am living in the world of rock n roll, haha, that is everything we do is at night, after 9, until all hours of the night, no clean foods, so I take them with me.  I would say my diet is 85% clean all the time.  I rarely eat carbs unless I need them, I still take 2 shakes a day and eat protein and green veggie at every meal.  Just on occasion there is a carb on the side or a sauce or marinade that I would never allow on a prep. I also drink red wine once or twice a week; last weekend I had three vodka martinis… whoa damn, when I eat clean those hit me like truck!

Back to fitness competition, I am able to do all of the moves, I can dance, so these arent issues.  I am not conditioned for, nor have I been training for Fitness, so this is a whole new ball game.  I have some excellent resources here in Colorado; I am currently taking modern/jazz/hip-hop classes from a dance academy here in Denver, 90 minutes a week; tumbling/mat work once a week 60 minutes; PowerYoga Force (hot, fast, deep yoga, lol), in addition to 5 days a week of intense gym training, and 5 cardio sessions a week (off season schedule), each being 45 minutes long, 2 HIIT sessions and 3 Steady state but high HR (145-155) sessions.

My in the gym training will be quite different, and has been slowly morphing from its past and current "bodybuilder" type, to a more athlete/sports/specified training type.  I currently have 4 days of weight training using pyramid reps scheme and body part splits and one day of full body plyo routine.  I will eventually move into 3 days of Plyo and 3 days of weights when its contest prep time.  Although my first state show isnt until after May, I intend to be totally in shape, and within 2 weeks of optimal stage condition by March for the Arnold!  I am not competing but I know several ladies who are and I will be attending and participating in another event in Vegas on that Friday night, a fashion show (pin-up, rockabilly, fetish) and on Saturday will be at the Arnold all day and night!!  I cant wait to meet everyone that goers every year.  I was 124 lbs onstage at nationals 8 weeks ago, and now I am 136 ~ this is a good weight for me, my off season feel good weight is 140; I wear a 6 at 140 lbs so I figure Im good at almost 5′6 tall and legs with thigh muscles like tree trunks!  Right now all my 6’s are still too big, but I feel smooth and watery compared to a size 4 and showing all my abs. *sigh*

Anyway, glad to be back and I will log my training and food at least a few times a week and keep everyone updated.

Happy Sunday

I haven’t been here since last week, way too busy.  I popped in to check e-mail, order some supps and JanTana and submit an article and that was about it.  I am training constantly (cardio 12x per week; weights x 5; Track/Plyo x 2 + life) and this is in addition to my two kids, studying and considering a degree swap from but figuring out how many credits I will lose, (considering nursing, MBA, and Psychology each with differing reasons) maintaining the four clients that "followed" me (I did not steal them lol) when I lost my job of several years at the same facility as a trainer and group ex leader, 2 very active and training German Shepherds, and my incredible husband who is gone 70% of the time.  He is part of the maintenance as well, but I also write for three different websites in three different genres and that doesn’t count the music my husband and I are trying forever to make, one metal and another rockabilly with a "crunch"… but gets put on the back burner to all it is the most expensive yet passionate venture; our living room is cluttered with instruments, hardware for instruments, amps, cords, a stair master, my husbands gigantic drum cage and double bass set.  We don’t have family here at all, we don’t have a list of babysitters so our kids are always, always with us.  If we go out my son watches my daughter, but he isn’t always here either.  We go to a lot of concerts, local shows, and DJ and burlesque/comedy events, we like the wierdos and the underground folks that’s for sure but are in no way "bar people" I grew up that way and ate tacos every Tuesday while my Mom played pool (ahem…hustled..she’s very good) and we go places to see live music or an act or something, but… I guess that makes us boring not to hit the bar every damned weekend   I had the third interview for a more administrative/information systems position and it looks very good, will know by tomorrow or Wednesday;  After 11 months I am done I cant stand it and we’re broke most of the time which I also cannot stand.  If all goes well I will make very decent monies, finish with these root canals and then buy tits; yes tits and yes big ones, I’m not shy, I breastfed two babies for a LONG time, the girl over a year, I want my boobs back.  Then likely lots and lots of tattoos, all over, and if my hubby would let me a corset piercing, but alas, it is still too weird for even him.
I had a root canal today and that is one of oh, so many, Now mind you, I have beautiful teeth, but… they seem to be turning to glass in the back and root canal after root canal it gets very pricey to keep them healthy let alone looking nice.  I am so lucky I never needed braces, I wouldn’t have ever gotten them.  I did get percocet prescribed and once I research and find out if I can take one and not F**k up my physique chemically, then I will.
I just did all that "soapbox" bitching because it was inspired by a very long conversation I had with a wonderful person I know, more of a friend of a friend kind of thing.  She spent the entire time complaining and whining and didn’t realize it apparently as it was so out of character.   We all have issues, I dont cry all the time about how I grew up in and ran away from many foster homes in colorado, and had no friends and no family and toted my baby around since I was 16 1/2 and I was a "thick girl" until I was 20 and then just a fat, lazy girl until after my daughter when I was 23. I have spent time with this woman before and shes fit and lifts heavy and eats clean and so I was really fine with my other good friend bringing her to work out with us.  Each time she came to lift, a little tid bit of a bitch would escape and then more and more until every time I saw her she just bitched about something, money, time, kids, her abs (please), sex, whatever.  This is why I get along with men much easier, I have several female friends but we are all one in the same brash, unique personalities; generally most women, are just too… whatever it is that I guess I am not.
I just try to make myself better every day.  I have so many more issues than many people on this site, I’ve been made fun of and praised, had to tattle to a mod to have a mean statement taken down when I picked a fight in the forum, hell it was my ass cheeks that started the whole BodySpace stink years ago about most viewed and what you could wear, I fought it out with I don’t know who for nearly a week ~ and that was my pre-contest ass too, never been on stage.  Despite anything and everything you say and do some will always hate what they see in you or want in you, some will always look up to you, although this is wasted effort to look up to anyone but yourself and your higher power, mine being God.  I  read books constantly as a means of distraction, to the point of being a bibliophile I think; and force myself not to think of negative or self defeating things, its behavior modification that has to be done to function and again no matter what I may do, some people will just be ****ty to you.  No matter what I do to modify my reactions, my words, my facial expressions, tone or timber or voice, some people just have to be takers, some will always be *******s, some women will always be catty.  I refuse to allow these people to suck the life out of me and generally avoid them at all costs.  I am the least fake person, and likely much to honest about what goes on in my head than I should be, but if we were all like that it would be a lot better.  You know that fake, phoney nice that people are sometimes?  I just want to call them on it, in a blunt and direct way, but most people cant handle that and I have learned to modify… see?  Still, it continues. Needless to say I will not be asking my friend to invite her friend to a work out again.  Geez.

Oh, just finished reading The NEW Psychcybernetics (excellent albeit preachy), You, Inc. (meh), and  The Talent Code (VERY thought provoking)

now working on The Case for a Creator, and  still working on (4 months now) Physics of the Impossible

Well I am editing a leg day home video I shot, well my hubby did for me, thank you and I notice a huge bruise lining the underside of my right calf muscle in .  Today its worse!  I haven’t a clue where it came from but its a bad one, you’ll see it in my 5 weeks out update… my husband is such a kick ass amateur video-grapher… much easier than hauling a little tripod in and looking all conspicuous while you lift.  I think he has ulterior motives though, as he seems to really "like" watching me lift… hmm. No he’s not a gym guy, he goes whenever I ask, and he is in excellent condition, but he is a martial arts plays drums and says its exercise guy.

I saw Heather Mae French working out at the Armbrust PRO Gym last night, she was training someone who looked 100% dialed in and ready for a show ~ and she too looked incredible of course just recently off her 1st place showing   anyway… back later

I was tweeting last night and noticed a tweet about Chuck Liddel being on the next dancing with the stars… holy crap.  I thought surely they jest, could this be true?  Then this morning in the UFC BodyBlog here on BodySpace, I saw it announced again.  I once saw Chuck take part in an experiment, where the measured the sheer force of his punch, through a side of beef, literally; I believe he was somehwhere at 1000 psi… just to note a football player, his name eludes me, went busting through a standard, thick, door and frame, to measure his total output of force, and his entire body full force was the same 1000 psi… but in a small, condensed package located in his fist.  I just cannot see him on dancing with the stars.  I am aware of the sheer athleticism required to dance with perfect technique and impeccable grace… but no matter how manly the man, it just seems to feminize somehow, sorry its just my opinion.  I really like Chuck Liddel and dont know what to think of this.

Anyway enough of that,  I spent hours yesterday editing videos of training and a couple of work outs for this article I am working on for the training section, not my prep.  My eyes are all gummy feeling from wearing contacts and staring at the hi res screen on this laptop for almost 5 hours very late at night.

Five weeks left and I feel pretty good, especially for it being my very first national show.  I have also, as I mentioned before never visited NYC and am really excited about that!  My hubby and I get time with eachother several times a month, at a concert, or a local show.  We are not at all bar people, I think I have been to "the bar" a total of five times in the last five years or so.  We love to play pool, but thats at Dave & Busters or at a friend’s place.  We have never, in 10 years of marriage, and 12 years together been without our kids, and alone, in a far off distant land.  I cannot wait.  I wont be able to eat thie first two days I am there, but after the show on Saturday, and in NYC, I have the tiniest, itty bitty dress and plan on frolicking about NYC and eating and drinking my brains out with my very tolerant and supportive man

We are visiting BodyBuilding.com headquarters next week, on the 29th and I am going to stop by and visit JTV! to chat about my nationals prep for Team Universe, all the great things BodyBuilding.com has done for me and anything else that may come up! If you are in the dark, JTV! is  BodyBuilding.com’s very own weekly web show that hosts different interesting people; for example the heavy metal band Chimaira visited recently on the 13th, and chatted with a lot of people, they can all be rewatched and found in the archive on the main page found here >>> 

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/justintv.htm

BiologyBabe Jaime Girard!
Thursday, Aug. 27, 2009
1:00-2:00 p.m. MDT (-0600)

so you should check out my prep in the PRO/AM BLOG here on BodySpace and just search through as it is interspersed with many other great posts about PRO/AM competiions and athletes! 

A new update every week! Then the trip to NYC, the athletes meeting, and onstage!  Should be fun…!

I have been out of this particular blog for awhile.  I have been nudged to get back in here.  HOWEVER… About every ten days I submit my entire prior week’s diet, training, and tid-bits of my current Team Universe prep to the lovely editorial team here at BodyBuilding.com, and they feature it in the official PRO/AM Blog on the main BodyBlogs/BodySpace page!  It’s certainly a huge motivation to be accountable to the viewing audience!  To my chagrin I think, I was actually approached at a new gym and at my old and asked if I was the pro in the blog on bodybuilding… I said well, wow, not a pro, but maybe that’s me yes?  LOL I always get recognized at shows when I compete by two or three BodyBuilding.com regulars.  At my previous job, that I miss horribly, I had a small pack of mentally deficient teenagers that e-stalked me, seriously, and came to the gym for two years.  One was actually revoked of his membership for a thread he started right here that pissed off my then boss, the executive director.  It’s really strange to be an absolute nobody, and have a teeny part of the world recognize you in public.

Please visit my progress articles and YouTube videos (they will be embedded with this week’s update) and help me stay in the game with most of my brain intact!  People are so nice about helping you out, its refreshing.  Lots of cool stuff is happening lately and its about damned time! After a year of torment and hell (thats all I will elaborate) its so great to finally be back on track and headed in new and unbelievable directions and people out there taking notice and being cool enough to help out!  I will go into more about all the new ventures and good things happening in the next few weeks… promise.  I will say that I will be visiting BodyBuilding.com headquarters in Boise, ID the last week in August but you’ll have to wait and see why!

Doing well on my prep, I had secured a partial tanning sponsor, until they likened it to arsenic and mustard gas!  Now I am planning to use the ever-wonderful airbrush spray tan the last 3 weeks and before the show, I dont want to age any faster let alone cancer, and the painting that is done pre-show is so freaking dark, no need for the pre-tanning.  I never tan my face or neck before anyway, I cover it, slather it daily with moisturizers and SPF 25 and little eye creams, and pre-anti fine line creams, all that stuff to keep my face looking just like this for the next 30 years or so!  I dont believe in any kind of facial procedures to make one look younger, no botox, collagen, etc… I am only 33 but damn, a friend of mine is 27 and just had Juvederm put into her face!!  YUCK.

I plan to blog here daily again, but the training and diet and contest stuff, for the most part will be in the articles located in the PRO/AM BLOG; I will let a few things through here in this blog, but I am using this one to complain and vent and showcase the more normal things in life while prepping for a HUGE show…. thanks and hope I can share something of worth to you all!  Seems all anyone does nowadays in these things is bitch about how wronged they have been, or BS bragging which is the same idiocy… so I will try to keep it interesting and whine free!

…change in an upcoming article series on the riggors of prepping for a national level show; easy? No way; watch and see!

**COMING SOON! My full prep/training/competition for Team Universe Figure Nationals in NYC this September in an article series..pics, video, work outs!Right here on BodyBuilding.com! Links to come!

Anyway doing this all on my old sony vaio while I wait for my new apparently ginormous computer from Dell, I just ordered a huge gaming machine my Dell account, they have zero payments and zero interest for a year right now; anyway its a 17 inch laptop with more power and speed than I will ever use; and I am freakishly excited about it. I will be able to post and write and blog my brains out. I will be able to edit video effortlessly and email it off easily to my editor(s) I can make and mix music play blu ray… I just cant wait.  None of that is training related other than it being my liason between my life and everyone out there.

June 24th

BB Squats; deep below parallel

135 x 12  135 x 12  135 x 12

Bulgarian Split Squats; holding a 25 lb BB on opposing shoulder

3 sets 15 reps per side

Triceps Extensions; w/ EZ bar

75 x 12  85 x 10  90 x 9 90 x 7

Bodyweight Dips

1×12 1×10 1×8 1×4

Decline Crunches

3 sets 20

Hanging Leg Raises

3 sets 12

Post Work Out

45 minutes StepMill

level 4, 3min

level 8, 2min

repeat entire duration.