Linda Cusmano ‘OUT FOR BLOOD 2011′

Happy Halloween everyone!!  I am going to close my gate, shut off the lights and have a volcano cake, watch kid nation, kitchen nightmares, UFC, bionic woman and LIFE!!
I am tired today, took today off too, my hams are tight which would explain my back being tight the past 2 days and the early stage of my 2 wk PMS bought, cravings are bad today and yesterday and has some crampys.
Tomorrow is another early day, today I was off and slept in til 9am~
Most days I start up at 5:30am, like tomorrow.
Anyway, I hope to be able to do my routine tomorrow but I keep thanking goodness that I know it well and practiced enough so that by now I feel okay that I am unable to do it since I am tight and do not want to injure, strain, sprain etc.
Diet pretty clean………and I am even more cut today, those diuretics are doing their job.
Linda

My back is super tight, I was going to just do routine a few times today 20-30 mins total for warmup, stretch and practice a few times but I cannot, I will pull something but with my refeed and cheat on sunday, had some rice cakes and honey last night, like 5 of them………..and some splashes of milk in my coffees the past 2 days I feel a bit scared to do nothing………frustrations…….
Well, if worse comes to worse I can take the dogs for a nice hour long walk today!  Been walking them pretty consistently 2-3 times per week the past few weeks for an hour but other days we just take them to the park to play chuck it, fetch……….its not raining now, although by the time I am able to get them out, after my next client…….it may be so we will see how things go.
I also had too many equal yesterday……….it tough to go back to plain water and also tough to drink herbal tea with nothing, plus I crave the coffee for taste more than anything but with  no equal fughetaboutit…………..I am on the herbal diuretics now so my abs were even more cut yesterday and I am up a few times per night now to pee…………….oh well, better to get rid of the water and must make sure I get to sleep early.  I usually pass out between 7pm and 10pm but the past few months have had a few nights of insomnia and not in bed til midnight or later, some odd days even 3pm but not on work nights luckily…………….so my sleeping went up and down but last night I was passing out at 9pm so I just hit the sack.
I still feel tired today so I am going to leave the gym work today, try not to deviate from diet and do that walk.  Just deal with clients only in the gym but no training for me today.
I found an nice white tea, organic brand from superstore but even in that I like 3 equals.
I should just drink my dandelion and lung teas today, those I do with no sweetener at all.
man its amazing how these things can mess with your head when so close to contest.
Linda

I took yesterday off, had a peanutbutter purdy finger and a few rice cakes with honey and or pb.  also a splash of milk in coffee yesterday and today, otherwise on track, off creatine, on diuretics, off sweetener and products congtaining, save a diet pop here and there.I did an hour hatha yoga today - yeah me, yoga amazing huh???  hated every minute but I needed it, my back is sore and generally tight and sore all over so I did it…….then, an hour cardio mod intensity, and my weights.
I have to go lite and easy as I can feel small little weakneses here and there in joints plus I fatigue easier and of course i would……….seen my diet????????????

Here is my plan for this and next weeks training.

End Oct to Beg of Nov 07 Week 11 and 12
  Tuesday Oct 30, 07
Routine practice15-20 mins.
Tape for Matt, various exercises a set or 2 to failure and posing.
Con curls, bar curls, incline DB curls and other on his list

  Wednesday Oct 31, 07
Video exercise clips for my site.  Light, at home, single set.

  Thursday Nov 1, 07
Cardio

  Friday Nov 2, 07
Cardio and weights of choice.
Video for pre contest bb.com, posing, standing, walking in red suit.

  Saturday Nov 3, 07 and Sunday Nov 4, 07
Cardio at home with leg workout lite n easy.

  Monday Nov 4, 07
Routine 15-20 mins
Back and Chest workout lite n easy.

  Tuesday Nov 5, 07
Cardio
Arms abs n glute workout lite n easy.

  Wednesday Nov 6, 07
Shoulders at home lite n easy, cardio lite short n easy.

  Thursday and Friday
Play it by ear.

Did my weights pyramid as planned yesterday and today, an hour cardio yesterday but today I was really dragging ass so I did a pathetic 20 mins jog walk on my tread.

I had a refeed last night, wendys chili n a baked potato with a shit load of sour cream………mwahahahahaha!  I had a chili today too.
so once the sodium levels out I should look cut and filled in in the next 2 days.  I start my diuretics tomorrow, drop creatine and any thing with sweetener save a few diet dr. pep here and there.
My suits for fitness and my figure mandatory came yesterday, here they are:

Wednesday Oct 24th, 07
Pyramids with 5 exercises chest, abs, obl. done at home and an hour of recumbent bike at a leisurely pace.
Had a few nuts……

Thursday Oct 25th, 07
Back, 5 exercises in pyramid and 30 mins stair master fat burn level 10 and 25 mins arc 25intensity with 10% incline.
had a few nuts………also forgot to make rice today so instead I had a hand ful of ancient o’s.
My 10 day no carb will still have green beans and 5 lunches with 1/3 cup brown rice since I am so lean I don’t need to go fish only-thank goodness.

Linda

Well of course I am holding some water from my cheats on Sunday but otherwise I feel pretty HOT!!!  Never had my legs this tight but I want them tighter, I think I am going to start my diuretic herbals this weekend and go for 2 weeks to rip em up more!
Now these shots were taken after a photo shoot called ‘workout warrior’ done for my site with new workout tops so excuse the wild make up!
My abs are a bit flat in the photos I just posted dated oct 23, water from cheat sunday but also low carbs past 2 days so I am flat

Monday Oct 22.07
Did my 4 weight exercises at 2×12 with the sprints between like the last few workouts, and did my routine for 30 mins……….and yes even watered down it has been making my lower back stiff. My body is really asking for conditioning and rest, so this contest is not coming soon enough plus the posing I did for this shoot which was less than an hour, really was hard on my back so I will be in major pain on the show day, but I have a massage the day before so maybe she can prepare my body.

Tuesday Oct 13.07 - Today
did the last 4 exercises on the list, arms, no sprints today as my back is tight, but I did do an hour and half of cardio on machines. Had a few nuts again, raw, yesterday and today but only a handful although that is deviation from the diet and this week until the 4th I have to really stick to things, only having 1/3 cup brown rice with lunch on mon to thurs and otherwise my 3 main meals are 1-2 oz of tilapia, 1/3 cup green beans and 3 shake taken between meals, one later after dinner.

I should be on week 10 now but lost time with injury so I just finished week 8 on my schedule although knowing things happen I stopped the plan at wk 10 giving me freedom to change and deal with timing so for week 9 I was supposed to do:
Machine Pyramid Sets 8, 12, 18, 10, 8
5-6 exercises per day
• Chest
• Back
• Shoulders
• Arms
• Legs

So I will do this workout for the next 5 days, my routine is ready and fine so practicing less is not a huge issue as I have the thing down, I want to flow better from a turn into my handstand and my ending timing could be perfected but I can do it a few more times still before show but just not every 2 days like I planned, oh well.
My suits are on the way……..pray they don’t get lost or something funny happens in their way here through the mail! I cannot wait to try on my fitness suit, it was just red before, now its beaded!! also my black one and there won’t be time to send it back to fix so it better be perfect or I may need to get Roger out here at ‘reach the beach’ to adjust if needed, if he is even still in business, heard he was thinking of closing up shop.
Linda

Well I ate a full pack of brown rice cakes with pb over the past 2 days, also, had a bit of dairy in my tea n coffee, also had too many roasted hazelnuts…………..and then I had deviated from my menu and for dinner I had 2 bc rolls, a japanese salad with a sesame miso type dressing and a miso soup.
Now the kicker…………I have a lava cake sitting in the kitchen with my name on it.
Do I eat it………I took yesterday and today off, my ankle especially on my right foot, achilles area and all around was slightly sore, tight so that rotation causes immediate stretch almost to pain so I figured stay off it and do nothing………….but the mistake was all the fats I took in and the deviation from diet.
Well back on strict tomorrow right through to Nov.3rd.  This is a crucial part in cycle of diet, no carbs for 10 days straight til carb up time which will be a day from the sat to the wed prior and from what I can tell I can start slowly on Sat.  I am still pretty tight, lean and hard and will get some pics up soon, I really need to shoot some more content for my site so I will get comparisons at that time.
Linda

Wednesday 11.17.07
an hour at home on recumbent bike very mild pedaling - I decided since I was watching TUF I would bike too since the show is so motivating and I can’t wait to see matt sera kick matt hugh’s ass!!!

Thursday 11.18.07
I did not really do cardio but did walk the dogs for an hour, the past few months have not been with the frequent hour daily walks we used to do since we have been going to parks and playing ball with them instead.  Did my 4 exercises from a choice of a few I wanted to fit in this week for week 8 with sprint intervals between so I did, 2×12 mod weight but had to do a few spinner intervals off seat, since all tread were busy but last 2 intervals were sprints at 8+mph.

Friday 11.19.07
4 more exercises from a list I had put together for this weeks plan and sprints between, no other cardio.

Had a refeed yesterday and the few days prior had some nuts here and there as well as rice cakes with pb, these are not on my diet right now but I can afford it and needed it.
I look very full today and wanted to take pics but was too busy.  Will try to get some comparisons at least tonight.  The refeeds so far have done my body good!!
I picked up a herb called coleus forskholii and it is to help with cell communication which seems to work well with asthmatics but it has all these other uses like hypertension, heart, acne, and get this, it is supposed to help increase metabolism - its a fat burner but NO side effects which you do get from most fat burners……..incredible and ironic……….very useful for me pre contest I suppose.
I have not yet started diuretics, don’t need to star til 1-2 wks out at this point as I am bang on with my body so far by mirror anyway.  Still want to do skinfolds and see what they say but at this point I don’t care if it says I am 12 or 16…………I look 9 percent or less under the skin so that is what counts!!
I also picked up some tea made of several herbs specifically for the lungs, went to Finlandia, they have a master herbalist there and so far I am amazed because I did not start the tea yet and only did the coleus for 2 days and my breathing today is symptom free…….I mean all the usual times I hack like early morning or evening……nothing……now I know I am at the end of pms and cycle but the condition seemed to go away overnight, I did not even feel the need for meds and have not taken my puffer now for 24 hours out of need…………only out of schedule and get this…………….no hacking or coughing or nothing during my sprints……..and not to get gross but the phlegm build up has been almost non existent…………….my problem, bronchitis which is a over production of phlegm exasperated by allergy and asthma condition…………..well phlegm free for the most part.
Could it be that it is already helping???  It is supposed to work well with the drugs and help you use less or stop altogether although with the scarring and damage to my lungs from 36 yrs of severity and such I will take anything, any difference in the positive.  I also always did respond well to supplements or drugs but I would have thought it may take months.  the lung tea was also affordable and I use a thermos per day sipping all day.
I went shopping today at the superstore to buy my usual tilapia lot, I get like 3 bulk packs, about 40 bucks per week and I eat it all………..anyway while there I became the bulk isle thief………..this week and last I took a couple kisses and sour keys.  mmmmm they were good and I could only eat a few, got to me, too strong for my pallet after all this simple bland food.

Well that is about it so far.
Linda

Many competitors have commented on how they have had fruit n certain carbs up to show day……….Iv’e done that too - used bananas and potato and oatmeal right to show but started leaner and kept a leaner me all year than this time around - a few shows I did when really lean I did not even diet……I was training 2-4 hours per day, ate like a man, lots and whatever I wanted so its all relative to the present situation for the certain individual etc,  but I mainly go with how I look each time, this time around I did  not want to take any chances and have to come in hard so I went overkill, and I find with this I am flat, so when I carb up the week before I will fill out amazingly.  they dogged me pretty bad last year so if I am to beat the politics I have to come in with a body they cannot find fault with, so that I can place top 3 no argument - I mean its still going to be political, and now my routine entertainment value and difficulty is mediocre compared to what I can do but it still maybe better than the others depending on who enters, how many and how their routines look…………..

I am still debating cutting equal and creatine by the 28th.  I look so lean now that I may be able to get away with creatine and look fuller but then again I won’t take the chance for any water under skin, rather get full muscles from yams instead.
I have not been this lean since 2001 and maybe getting to my leanest yet - most of the shows the past few years were chosing gals with higher bodyfat and more on routine focus so I got away with it but these guys are my step toward IFBB so you can imagine, even so its bottom level amateur entry level, they still look for higher grade physique than most at that level………….its sad but they want you hard and lean almost like a natural bodybuilder - natural bb comp I would do well with how I look now………….or at least by my contest date.
Well I have had refeeds, an apple here and there, rice cake with pnut butter here and there, when i was ill last week I had a few slices of toast, tons of nuts, chili, potato, curry………..all very starchy, tomato soup too, very salty…..and one day 4 pops, full sugar……………and have had few 1/4 cups of dairy here and there, sometimes 2% other times whole in my tea or coffees……………….so these are all areas I could have been stricter but did not have to and it worked out okay.
I am going to have a couple chocolate bars on Halloween -friggen rights!!!!
I also may do another day of a plate of spaghetti with tomato sauce and parmesan - this would be a last refeed and no later than this Saturday, then from the 21st to the 3rd I will have to be very diligent on my diet plan (link posted previously) so that I can begin carb up by sat or wed pre show, which I may deviate a tad from the plan by adding a few extra carbs but we will see.
Last week always has the possibilities of changes of course.

Sat Oct. 13.07 - 500 crunches

Sun Oct. 14.07 - 100 heel prints, 50 diamond pushups and 50 regular, 2×20 quadriped, 2×20 flr chickens - still not well with asthma, diet has been better now, nausea is gone but still trouble with breath.

Mon Oct 15.07 -50 mins brisk high incline speed walk on tread

Tues Oct 16.07 - last few cross fit exercises (handstand presses, windshield wipers, squat to overhead barbell superset with overunder pullups or over over, gi janes - I failed fast and easy though……………pathetic but carbless so I have my reasons.
30 mins routine - 3x through and heavy stretches to make sure I don’t get hurt or tweak injury (feel like such a baby, I am normally so flexible that I don’t have to stretch), 10 on spinner, 10 lite on rower.
Linda

I had a few good days after that day then today was a bit nauseated again.  I lost Sun, Mon and Tues last week though, had to not exercise……….sucks but I feel okay lean wise so far.  My legs are the most cut they have ever been and my ass is now a boys ass, no more italian booty……….saddlebags are nearly invisible and calves, tris are showing more cuts too.
Wed 10.10.07  I ended up feeling a bit better but asthma…….made cardio a real bitch today, jogged for 30 mins.
Thurs 10.11.07 - back on track with diet, again may have had a few nuts  which is not on menu, roasted almonds and hazelnuts otherwise pretty on track but still feeling underweather a bit with asthma.  Did 30 mins routine practice, 25 mins on the arc ez goes it, then did a taping of some failure sets for a video which was almost like an all body with heavy weights.
Friday 10.12.07 1×10 all body lite, no cardio, asthma is bad.
Saturday 10.13.07 asthma is bad today too, I am going to do 500 crunches and leave it at that for today.
Will do pics when I feel better, I was supposed to d a shoot today for my site gallery but I just am not feeling up to anything.  I had missed a shake or 2 yesterday and today I had a can of tomato soup instead of my breakfast fish, had a small chili with some crackers for my snack 2 instead of a shake and its high in protein but high in fat….and for dinner had some ridicchio instead of green beans for dinner with my tilapia but pretty much on diet and have been off nuts today, had a few yesterday but none the day before but I did have a green apple with peanut butter yesterday………….ooops.
I tihnk I am okay and can get away with these small things, I feel I look right even bloated and such as I am right now.  That will all be gone by Saturday, THEN I can do some  kick ass pics but I may take a few tomorrow anyway if I do a shoot tomorrow………..see how I feel.
Linda