THOUGHTS OF A FITNESS FREAK

I watched three shows tonight back to back.  The first one was the worlds strongest boy.  He was 6 and ripped like a bodybuilder.  Apparently his father was messing with the kid and put him through all kinds of insane training.  The show was a few years ago, I have no idea where he is now.  The second was "Supersize She" about Joanna Thomas, female bodybuilder, made it to the Olympia.  She obviously uses steriods, so of course that was mentioned. (As for her I do believe I was watching one of my daughter MTV crap shows called ‘pageant girls’ and there were two beauty pageant girls having lunch and it looked like Joanna who walked by…THEY made fun of her an giggled.  NOT very pageant like, is it?) THEN they had "Greg Valentino.  The man whose arms exploded".  More steroid hype.  It wasn’t just steroids.  He was injecting all kinds of stuff into his arms to make them swell. They didn’t even flex anymore and were bulbous and filled with fluid.  Of course they didn’t mention that. If it were just steroids, he would have been bigger all over, not just on his biceps…..dontcha think?  Why is it when they speak of bodybuilding, they show stuff that is out of the "norm"? If so many people are abusing them, how come we never see them?  Because not everyone who uses them becomes massive.  While I do not condone drug use of any kind I also like to look at both sides of the story.  I like to be informed about most topics(except politics because those people are mostly liars anyway) Would I want to risk my health to become larger?  Nope.  If someone else does, so be it.  I AM amazed and I was amazed by the Olympia competitors, steroid uses or not.  They appeared super human to me, much like Greek Gods albeit a bit larger.  I do not think shows should be about what these people are using to look the way they look, but perhaps about how hard they have to work to get where they are.  Steroids is not a quick fix for anyone…..you still have to lift the weight.  

Anyhow, tonight I did legs.  I think I was there for aout an hour and 1/2.  I admit I got lost in the moment.   I started back on my sizeon and my superpump, I am well fed and fully hydrated…..game on! This is what I do, but I will go back to each machine/exercise 2 or 3 times in a session.  sometimes 1st set is less weight and goes up o max weight , then back down to less weight and more reps, but here are the basics.  My weights are low because of my leaness…but lets hope to improve.

Incline leg press 4 45’s (plus sled) 12 reps, 3 sets     

Hack press 6 45’s 8 reps 3 x 12

leg extensions 80lbs 3 x 8-10

laying leg curl 70lbs 3 x 10

cable kick backs 60 lbs on the flat bench 10 reps each leg, 3 sets

adductor/abductor I will do about 175lbs out and about 110 in  back and forth 3 sets each.

free squats 85 lbs, varied foot placement.  3 sets of 12-15.  I want more, but no spotter!

laying ham press on the smith each leg about 135 (with the bar) 4 or 5 sets of 12 with each leg.

I didnt do the regular smith squats because my traps/delts/neck are sore from posing still.  Instead I did  the horizontal press (machine) 140 lbs, feet ducked out to the sides, glutes tucked, back off the pad.  This gives me full tightening in the glutes, hips , hams and quads.  Its kind of a tiring move, but I like it.  I did not do romanian deadlifts because of the soreness, but did use the roman chair for my lower back.  I had a great workout and would have stayed longer if I could!!

I am toying with my diet.  Deciding how/when to work in needed carbs.  I have had……

1.double protein shake

2.chicken and spinach

3.tuna with lettuce and dressing

4.broccoli and cheese baked potato (carbs and it was gross, but I was in a hurry)

5. 2 hamburger patties

6. protein bar and almonds

7. another shake before bed is coming.  I was running around all afternoon.

Tomorrow I am going to run to the gym and do shoulders before the holiday.  I hope everyone has a great thanksgiving!!

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I am gettng my arse back in the gym tonight. I can’t wait another day.   I have my bottle of superpump in my hand, just waiting for it to kick in.  I am also back on the sizeon starting tonight.  I am really going to focus on size, slowing down my sets, increasing weight and keeping track of my numbers.  i figure  I have until March before I have to cut up.  It will be a clean bulk.  I know some people eat crap and call it bulking, but I want to keep a bodyfat average of around 10%.  I know it can be done, you just have to keep an eye on yourself.  I gained 5-6lbs in my last bulk in a period of perhaps 6 months and maintained low bodyfat. My food will be clean and nutritional, lots of protein 2gs per lb of bodyweight gives me about230 grams a day.  This will be 3 double shakes a day, plus at least 3 food meals (maybe 4).  Back to the eggs and oatmeal, whole wheat pastas.  I need a safe carb level as I don’t like to get in too many carbs above what I might use. The wasted carbs will just be stored as fat.  I am not doing cardio of course, my job is not so sedentary that I don’t get to move around, so that will be ok.   I will write later.  

On another note…..I have a 4th stack tester for Gaspari!  Fitnesspeanut is my 4th girl.  Gaspari asked that I add her and I was happy to.  My new Gaspari Girls are..

Darese,Lorabeanne,Danicax and of course fitnesspeanut.  I hope I got the screen names right.  I suck at those.  I will add links to my blogs to get to theirs when things get going, so you can read theirs easily.  I have confidence they are all going to kick butt!!

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I made this for my youtube subscribers, but posted it here as well.    I think it’s funny because everyone assumes you are huge from video and photos.  I am also proud of my back because it doesn’t look like I have a curved spine at all anymore!   I am toying with doing bodybuilding next year.  There is lightweight , which is 125 and under, but I need bigger legs.  If anyone knows some trainers for BB posing and routines in CT, please let me know!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tT4DgluDTL4   watch it if you are bored.  I did a dancing abs one, but it may be a little "sexy", so I didnt post it.

I just wanted to quickly tell you about a conversation the girls in the dressing room were having.  Apparently, some figure shows, I don’t know which organizations, are introducing a "gown round".  I think this is ridiculous!  I don’t want to be in a "beauty pageant".  What is the point of having a good physique if we have to wear gowns?  What’s the point of doing "figure" at all.  We all know the lines are blurred as to how we are supposed to look.  I have commented on this aspect many times.  As Sandi Rianelli (did I spell that right) who is a huge NPC judge states in her video, "figure was designed for women who work out hard in the gym, who do not have the dance or gymnastic backgrounds, to show off their hard work".  That made be not such an accurate quote, but you get the idea.  But to introduce a gown round would totally kill the sport. do muscle women need to have a new catergory?  do we need muscle girl and non muscle girl figure competitions?  Rather than height classes, should we have bodyfat percentage classes or muscular /feminine competitions? I am not ready for bodybuilding yet, do this mean I belong no where?  okay, I placed first in masters doing this last show, so I am a figure girl…but are we soon to be shooed out the door?  I tried to bring in a more toned and muscular package, certainly by no means manly in my glittery bikini.

I am sure the other women here are also confused by the guidelines on judging. I am not mad because I didnt place well in the short class, it just means I need bigger legs and shoulders, so more training!  I love training anyway and will start bulking as soon as I am all "well fed" at the end of the week.  I remember being told by a promoter that I needed bigger shoulders, so I went out and got them.  Now, i am going for the legs 2x a week.

Gown round still lingers in my head.  The girls were so excited about this prospect and I was thinking, "are you shitting me?" Next, they will have us singing and dancing and twirling friggin batons on fire.

Oh, I didnt hit the turkey..that was a typo.  I was tired.  I will write again later tonight.  I am looking for the best bulking diet I can get my hands on and will be starting back on the superpump250 and sizeon tonight.

It’s the day after and I had to go to work.  Six hours of sleep.  The one thing that freaked me out was the fact all my toes were numb in the morning and are still tingly.  I thought it may be permanent damage. I kid you not.  I fully expected top take off my shoes this afternoon to find my toes looking like the guys who climb Everest……….black and dead. 

What can I tell you ladies about a show? What do you want to know the most? Posing?  How tan is too tan?  Crap, I was dark, but others were darker and I looked like one of the lightest on stage.  I didn’t want a super dark face, with my green eyes I would look like an aborigionie that rolled in the dust of the Australian bush………I’m Irish for petes sake. So, you must know you have to keep most of your feminine modestly at home.  Backstage there are naked women gluing their butts into their suits, strapping breasts together,etc.  We are pissing and moaning, but we are having a good time.  All the ladies were very nice to each other.  there were a few who chose not to use the dressing room and kept apart from the rest of us.   They had their men prepping them and tanning them in the pump room.

  I don’t think I have gotten so many dirty looks from women in my life as that show. Some bodybuilders have nasty girlfriends. I don’t want your man sista…..I can get my own. Im beyond that "he looks like a hottie, I will take him home with me" mentality. It’s like bodyspace, lots of beautiful men, but I don’t know most of them from Adam. Make me laugh and I’m sold though! I appreciate a great sense of humor and a mischevious smile more than a pec that will perhaps dissapear with age.  Okay, I love pecs….that was a bad analogy.  I have to have someone who will entertain me when we are old and he has MOOBS. haha!

How did I change the subject again? Crap, I am scatterbrained today. I also hit a turkey this morning.  it flew right in front of my windshield while I was doing 50!  Ever try to slam on anti lock brakes?  I almost bagged the thanksgiving bird!

I am ready to start bulking again.  Probably this weekend actually.  I need to add at least an inch, if not 2 to my quads. I also need yet bigger shoulders, mostly medial delts.  I will try, try ,try to post properly, but I am not doing that greek BS that no one understands. like 20×3x13x WTF does that mean? I don’t do algebra.  I will also try to be more clear about my food and what exactly it is I do for a better butt.  My video was supposed to be out.  I don’t know whats going on and will drop a line to admin here to find out.  Gaspari is having the testimonial contest as well as the cytolean challenge.  I just posted the testimonial info in my earlier blog if anyone is interested in being feautured!  I have been trying to write everyone back who left me a comment, but have yet to catch up.  If I missed anyone, just say "hey bitch, did you blow me off?" and I will respond………I promise.  I spent the whole day in a fog I was so exhausted.  i didn’t intend to water deplete, but all I had yesterday was coffee ad an energy drink, so I was a little dizzy today.  I ate a mcdonalds big and tasty to compensate…….shoot me.it was big and tasty dammit…………

Talk later…

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Anyway, get on board,have an opinion……….

Thanks for all the competition support!  I couldnt have done it as well without all of you!!

Okey dokey, what a long day it was.  I left the house at 8 am, athletes meeting was at 930 and THEN,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,BAM, the power went out!!  I had on NO make-up or extra tan.  We all stood around and about 15 minutes earlier I was commenting that a terrible burning diesel smell was giving me a headache.  Turns out, there was some sort of electrical fire.  The power was out for maybe 45 minutes and then back to business. The show started only a few minutes later than intended.  My heart was pounding, my palms were sweaty……….what a rush!

I competed in open class 5′3″ and under.  I was placed in the center for most of the prejudging and that usually means you are in 1st.  I was suprised that I only placed 4th and kind of dissapointed. I honestly felt there was only 1 girl in that class who could have beaten me. I’m not being negative , but I really did think I was in better condition than the 2 and 3rd place winners.

I also competed in Masters 35+.  The older women looked great.  More muscle maturity, most of us moms.  One woman had twins!  I ended up in the middle of that class too and placed first!!  I was happy about that one!

Okay, so I was confused and didn’t get to talk to the judges.  I had to wait til the whole show was over to get photos taken with the other winners. I would have liked to get some feedback on why my placing wasn’t very high.  Maybe what I could have done better or improved upon.  Figure is hard, like I was saying.  In nationals, the girl are muscular and ripped, but in state, softer.  There is NO way I am going to get softer for state and so I have no clue as to how to get where I want to be.  I can more on to Masters national though.  Thats in the summer and its all over 35.  SERIOUS competition and I may get my ass kicked, but I will KNOW why I got my ass kicked…..hahaaaaa!

But then I must tell myself that the three top figure girls did not even PLACE at the Olympia.  Valerie W even went on to win the Texas pro a few weeks later, but didnt place at the Olympia.  They should change the name to “GO FIGURE”……………..big fat raspberry…….

All in all, it was a good show.  I wanted to see more of the show, but it was too hard to see from the side of the stage. 

I will write more tomorrow.  I have bikini bite glue all over me, my tan is a dry crust as you can see from my picture.  I would have posted the pics my daughter took from the audience……..but damn, they suck and are so fuzzy and unusable.  Never again will I let her hold the camera!!!

I think about that rush of walking on to stage alone.  The side by side comparisons are easier because you are not out there alone.  I get a little squirt of adreneline when I think about that part and my palms get sweaty. I tidied up my suits, sewed all the straps and hope my flash tape and bikini bite keeps the bottoms from rolling into my buttcrack. I do not care to see a stage picture of myself with one asscheek exposed.  As a mom or dad, you see one of your kids get out of the water at the beach with a little buttcheek exposed and you know it drives you nuts because they don’t notice, so you run over and fix it so your own butt feels better.   And then 3 lbs of sand falls out of their suit…but alas, we are adults and thats not allowed………

I have to nekked tan one more time.  I am not sure if I can get away with leaving this one on because it’s nice and dark,but I want to look fresh.  I don’t know.  Its far too much to think about.  I was fully intending to go to the gym, but had other errands to run, so I will take in some carbs and assess my pump up at home.  I did tell you the stage manager said to us last time and the time before, "you are figure girls,you don’t pump up"……I was like, "what?"  I did it anyway.  It makes your shoulders and arms nice and rounded.  It shows conditioning.

I was chatting with my friend Dave who was telling me about his roomates figure show.  She placed first in tall class, but bit the dust in overall.  Apparently at this show, the short class winner was a "bikini" girl.  There is nothing wrong with being a bikini girl, but damn, we bust ass all week in the gym and this is FIGURE dammit.  Have a bikini show if you want to choose bikini girls.  Dave was like, "she had NO muscles!!!"  See,that’s what makes us ladies mad.  There is a place for everyone, but these judges told him the girl was "cute" and had a "cute figure".  I weighed 100 lbs a few years ago,does that mean I could have won a figure contest without working out?   Shall we have 2 shows called girls with muscles figure and girls without muscles figure because I sure as hell wouldnt want to show up and be the only woman in the room with a gym membership.

Enough about that………just something to stress about I suppose.  I dropped water a little, but had 2 giant coffees today.  I will have more coffee in the morning because I cant function without it.  Im going to have some rice cakes and peanut butter with me tomorrow for carbs.  Nothing fancy.

On another note,  gaspari is looking for reviewers  for Superpump250 lemon burst now available here on BB.com or through gasparinutrition.com.   We are seeking men and woman!!  follow this link http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=5602111

I don’t see the point in training tonight really.  I did a full body last night, so I will more than likely just do some posing and get a good pump on right in my living room………….”pump”, sounds dirty doesn’t it?  Today is all brown rice and chicken.  No more messing around.  My cold is still here, but if it doesnt turn into some hacking, dog choking on a bone, kind of cough…….the show must go on.   Sometimes you just have to suck it up.  I have 2 days left, needless to say, an emotional freak and I haven’t even depleted. Perhaps it’s that way with anything big that you plan.  I get nervous about my shoes, my hair, will I forget something…………all that useless crap that you are supposed to think of ahead of time. It’s like forgetting something at the grocery store.

You have all have been great and I want to thank you for all the support you have given me.  My bodyspace anniversary will be on Nov 26th! I started here one year ago, so if you are feeling down about your progress, look at me a year ago.  A stringbean with a bicep pose in my progress pictures, no glutes to speak of and downright boring. I think I have grown as a person here, gained some self confidence and have certainly “met” some of the most gracious and supportive people on the planet…………okay, I am getting misty. It’s just nice to know that even when we are feeling negative and our “real” lives are not going so good, we can come here and feel like things may not be as hopeless as we think.  Thank you for that.  I NEED that and sometimes I just need a laugh and a kick in the ass!

Tomorrow is more freaky tan and ‘yes I am a girl’ fingernails!  Sorry guys, need to do the girl stuff right now, but I will be back to bulking on tuesday night!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I haven’t been to the gym in a few days. Between being sick and my mom in the hospital and no sitter………..it’s been a real bummer.  I still feel like someone kicked me in the face, but I am pressing on.  Someone left me a comment in regards to “model poses” in my posing video.  this is the way Maggie Blanchard (pro fitness competitor) had us do it at her NPC.  I’m sure at your athletes meeting, you will be instructed on the way they want you to do it.  Don’t worry, if it’s a well organized show, you will do fine!

So, went to the gym after work.  Like a damn crackhead seeking the pipe……puff puff………

I had coffee instead of Superpump250, but I was so psyched for a workout, I didn’t need anything.   I had rice today for carbs (brown, not white) and mixed it with a few oz of boiled chicken every 3 hours or so. I am not taking a diuretic or water depleting, but my gym manager did accuse me of water depletion and even pinched my obliques to check.  I was like ,”dude, it’s a mindset”.  I did take some antishistamine, which tends to dehydrate you and the tan helps dry the skin.  I am still taking in about a gallon of water.  I swear the water flushing does wonders to get rid of fat.  I am also doing my Cytolean once or twice a day. 

I got an all over pump, vascularity was through the roof and my arms were really full.  I have to practice my pump for pre judging.  Like I said, don’t want to look striated, hence the cautious and undecided water deplete. I am concerned about my back because it’s really full and muscular.  I couldn’t get that flattened out look if my life depended on it. I think it’s partially due to the odd curve in my back, it just makes me different.

I did lat pulldowns, leg extensions, lying leg curls, cable kickbacks, db curls, db rows, rows on the smith, upright/overhead rows on the machine, tri presses, shoulder presses….I hit em all…………at this point, all you can do is say, “this is what I have and if they don’t like it, I can work harder and be better next season”.  Learn from my mistakes I guess.

I hope everyone is doing well.  Oh, and Plasmajet is coming………..it’s going to kick ass!