THOUGHTS OF A FITNESS FREAK

Its an OCB figure and honestly, I have nothing better to do. Im BORED and need a goal.  Its not until septemeber 13th anyway, so I still have plenty of time….like two months. It isnt too far away either.  I wasnt going to do it because they have a "stage walk" and I’m not terribly comfortable doing the whole Miss America walk thingy. Havine people watch me walk in hells makes you kinda forget how to walk in heels and even though I do pretty good, you always worry that something is jiggling or you look like a horse clomping all over the freakin place……anyway, clear hooker heels, here I come! 

Tonight is a non training night so that means watching Tv and messing around online.  I just tell myself that I need the day off aND TO BE SENSIBLE , but it still drives me nuts sitting around. My daughter has my car, but I was thinking about going anyway if she comes back in time.  I had a nap and have lots of energy because I had lots of pasta for dinner. 

Im starting back on all my supplements as well.  I was just using superpump, but am adding my sizeon, plasmajet and intrapro with full force. I had to cycle off because I was getting used to stuff.

Ill be on later to write I suppose 

needed a goofy title.  I love Will Smith, so it fit.   Tonight I did calves, forearms and some abs.  Its kind of lighteweight stuff, so no "yee hah" kind of grunting tonight.  Just some tooth gritting from the burn! What is it about these 2 areas that makes them burn?  For forearms, I do hammercurls with dumbbells 20lbs , front raises with the ez barbell 40lbs, behind the back wrist curls with the ez bar 40 lbs and bench curls with the ez bar.  I go until failure, which becomes progressivly harder because with the behind the back I can get like 30 at first and I am like, "Holy crap, Oh my GAWD, owiee, kill me Lord" after about 25. This is why you have to get over people lookin at you funny because you tend to make funny faces and you are not going to get very far without pushing your limits.  Know what I mean Jellybean? For calves I am up to 320 on the donkey for about 20 reps.  Im scared of another ankle injury, so going higher may have to wait.  On the seated I was doing about 120 or so.  I have stubborn calves, they are cut, but I do want them to bulge just a little from the side.  I have tiny chicken ankles though, so I have to watch what I do to myself.  For bas I just did a bunch of sets at 110 of kneeling cable crunches.  Much more than that and the weight drags me forward because my weight is at 115 today. 

For lunch  went and hung out at the duck pond near my work to look at turtles and frogs.  Yep, I am like a little kid.  There really was no sun, so the turtles were hiding.  I like turtles, cant help myself. The only problem at that place is the goose poop.  The geese no longer go south, so they now stay at the pond and have scared the ducks away.  Its like little bombs all over the place, rather disgusting.  Plus I am kind of scared of those damn birds cus they are soooooooo huge and can be aggressive.  I wouldnt want to have to punch one and run screaming through the park flapping my arms like a mad beast and screaming bloody murder.  Heck, I can even run for long.  I see myself being pecked to death and pooped on……….going to make me have nightmares now just thinking about them….they are just "fowl"…..

Alrighty then, another workout gone by.  Tomorrow is a non training day.  That means sitting at home with my thumb up my butt channel surfing.  I cant believe I used to do that everyday! 

Have a good one!

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I did back and bi’s tonight and after having potato salad for a couple days…my energy level was pretty good. I got 40 lb dumbbells for 2 reps and 70 lb barbell for 4 or 5…..I forgot, so I cant lie.  Yeah, I was a little insulted by the whole steroid thing, but if you wanna make excuses for your sorry ass, go ahead. I am in there huffing and puffing and grunting my butt off, I love it, it makes me feel good and lots of good has come into my life because of it…….

I was really happy about increasing my lifts though!  When you do something you have never done before, its a huge rush.  Like "woo hoo, I did it!".  crap, the only thing I have ever really done before is pop out kids without pain meds and let me tell you, you havent much choice in that!

Anywhooooooooo, I did back and bi’s and for back I just did a few things.  I used the delt fly , lat pull downs, cable rows, and thats probably about it.  I told you my workouts have been scattered. Im pretty happy with my back, so it doesnt need much work.  I concentrated on bis more and those suckers have been 12 inches for a looooooooong time.  They have more definition, but the left one isnt as "peaked" as the right as seen in my video.  I also have trouble with the left because of grip failure. It always feels so wussy to me.  I did alot of sets of machine preacher curls 70lbs, barbell curls 70 lbs, dumbbell curls 40.  I started off lighter, so these were at the end of my sets.  I prefer to warm up with lighter and see how high I can get.  I try not to max out and toast my arms, or I never get higher because they are too tired.  I keep to about 6 reps on the lower weights, then work my way up.

Tomorrow I am going to do abs, calves and forearms.  I like these exercises because they dont take alot of energy and you can superset like a mad gym freak with bodyweight exercises or just going from machine to machine. 

Im getting psyched about my Florida photoshoot in a month.  I want to push the envelope and do some really cool stuff.  Muscle stuff, art, you know……..not lingerie stuff, thats so not me. 

Ill talk to you later.  Thanks again for all the help you guys have given me.

So, I was talking to this guy in the gym who I truend on to a few supplements and workouts and he has really improved…then his friend comes in and says "what are you doing.  What are you on?"  Insinuating he was using steroids for his results.  He has been insulted like this before and I had said, "take it as a compliment of sorts".  Anyway, he tells me a few minutes later that some of the guys at my gym think I am using too and yeah, that freakin hurt!  I have worked soooooooooo hard to get where I am.  I have slaved right next to these men and their own lack of discipline is their problem, not mine.  Its so easy to look at someone else and accuse them of doing something wrong rather than something right, isn’t it? I can barely afford my electric bill, nevermind the $100′ds of dollar a month it might cost to use drugs.  Besides that, the side effects scare the crap out of me!  I would be willing to take a pee test at any time to prove it.  I will show you my butt in a thong to prove there are no needle marks on me.  A female side effects is elongated "genitalia" and you can see it in pics of the bigger women who use, not all , but most.  I do not have a ‘lump’ in my bikini front, I do not have acne, a square jaw, a voice that sounds like a transvestite on estrogen, or excessive body hair. I in fact, rarely have to shave my legs because its pretty sparse.  It doesnt bother me that people use steroids at all, if thats the path they choose to go.  I have friends that use them and it is not for me to tell them how to live.  I am in awe of what they look like and the dedication it takes….but for me……..no way. I’m into health and wellness and it would be wrong of me to tell people they could get a better body or transform themselves like I did, it I was using physique enhancing drugs.  I wouldnt dare ruin my reputation by lying.  Some people do not realize how tiny of a person I am….in person, until they meet me and stand next to me.  And I am sad to say that I have jacked my metabolism so much, that I have dropped even more weight and am now down to 114 lbs according to the gym scale.  This was my competition weight at my last show after dehydration!!  But it is so hot and humid here, I am not sleeping well and not hungry like I normally am. I’m going to force myself to supplement with more protein shakes. I may even start taking a gainer for more calories.  The heat is supposed to break soon, so I hope it helps my appetite a little.  Summer has always been a fresh veggie kind of season for me.  Last night I had a bunch of steamers with real butter and some steak and it was soooooo good.  My main source of carbs has been potato salad lately as well. 

Did I tell you about my daughters friends little sister?  We were driving in the car and this quiet little 9 year old says, "I want a six pack!".  It was so cute.  you see, many of us as young girls wanted to be ’superhero-like’, just like little boys. I loved Bev Francis when she was a power lifter in the 70’s, I loved the female American Gladiators in the 80’s!  Maybe I didnt want to be as big as them, but they looked like they could do anything.  If I can look like something a little girl wants to be, maybe she won’t starve herself to "fit in" like most of us have in the past.  Laying in bed, checking how far your hipbones poke out and seeing how long you can go without eating while your hair falls out in clumps is a painful thing. You are always thinking ,"maybe if I were thinner, I would be prettier and I will be more liked", but it doesn’t happen that way.  Take a look in a magazine and not even a fitness or fashion magazine and find someone beautiful..truly beautiful and chances are it will be a man or woman with a smile and a look of hapiness that is real.  I envy women with beautiful skin myself and I never look at their bodies as part of their beauty.  True beauty is in the heart.    Being sexy is in the mind.  I know I am not everyone’s ‘cup of tea’ in the realm of fitness.  Some days I wish to be curvy and voluptous like Marilyn Monroe, everyone loved and worshiped her, yet she died alone….being "beautiful" didnt save her.  We knew her for the way she looked, yet she wanted someone to love her soul.  thats sad.  So, if you think you will be happy to "look a certain way to fit in", make sure its a healthy, happy way.  Do not torture yourself to become a bodytype that is unattainable without killing yourself.  Be realistic, choose a short goal first and see what happens with it.  Don’t be terribly dissapointed if you don’t succeed at first.  Its hard until your know how your body will respond to different food and training regimes. Have patience with yourself.  It will happen and most of all….have faith. 

My training was a little scattered tonight. I did chest and tris and some abs too. I did 320 on the donkey calf raises, working my way up to the whole 400 again.  I am going to film more "at home training" this weekend for those of you who may not get gym time like I am fortunate to get. I’ll write up on something about it soon.

Peace

I am happy to say my butt is sore, but for workout reasons and not a pinched nerve.  I had to modify my routine, but it seems to still be sufficient enough to spark growth.  It’ll be interesting to see how my "negative" leg extensions do. Trixster sent me a workout program and I wanted to try it, but it has some leg exercises I cant do at the moment. We’ll see how it goes. I’m always up for new stuff and right now I am thinking that I am going to work on some torturous negative, 1/2 rep stuff, so even if I cant do the full program, I will try to do part of it………at least use the principles.

After the gym, it was so hot out, I decided to take my sister up on clamming out in the sound. I never did it before and kind of didnt do it much yesterday because there were 3 rakes and 4 people.  Basically, I walked around some huge sand bars in shin deep water in the middle of the sound……..it was pretty fun.  Then we traveled down the river and stopped in an Irish pub.  I had a ginger ale……no drinking for me! Actually, soda is even rare for me.  I told you I was stepping out of my box!!  hahaaa

You want to know something funny?  I look younger than I did 10 years ago.  I was looking at some old family pics and fitness has dropped years off me. The sad part is my cousin of whom I have not seen in 10 years came to visit from Missouri.  She is a couple years older than me, but I swear she looks 60.  She doesnt even drink or smoke and she isnt overweight and doesnt even tan, so I was just shocked at what life has done to her. I have had a pretty tough life, but perhaps some of us are more physically affected by our lives?  Perhaps if we act old, it makes us old? If that is the case, I am fighting for as long as possible.  I would like to look as young as I feel.  That would be……..hm………..27? Okay, 28……..heheeeeee

I also wanted to thank everyone who ever had a kind word for me when I am feeling down. I think most of us do.  I also want to thank people for the emails that say they didnt know 40 could look good or that they thought ‘mommies’ were supposed to look like ‘mommies ’. Its nice to know I have changed some of their thought patterns.  Even if they choose not to go hardcore or superlean, they can get the pre baby body back and its never hopeless.  I try to answer as much mail as possible, but if I ever missed yours, please resend!  My email is always mixed with spam and sometimes my regular mail gets lost in my spam folder, so I miss stuff.  I will do my best! 

Have a happy Monday.   

I went earlier than normal because I may have a photoshoot later. It’s over 90 degrees I think and I don’t have a tan, so I am a little hesitant.  I also don’t think there is AC is Rich’s studio, so I am not sure I want to do red faced sweaty pics either. Despite the fact that I can’t go heavy right now, I think I got a good legs workout in.  My hip/butt wasn’t killing me, but I still didnt want to tempt fate.  I stuck to this:

Leg extensions went up to 110.  Leg curls stayed at 60.  Linear hack press 200 lbs, several sets.8 I think.  Leg press 200, nothing deep though, kept the knees at a 45 degree max.  I then did single leg extensions, but focused on the negatives.  This means I extended my leg and let it slowly go down.  Its a little like torture, but I could feel it working! 

I also did donkey calves at 2220lbs, bodyweight dips, hanging leg raises, curled some 35 lb dumbbells and did some easy lateral raises…..oh and did some forearms with the EZ bar , raises in front and curls behind the back. I think thats it………..oh wait, kneeling cable crunches at 120 lbs. 

I know you will probably think "thats an easy workout?" , but for me it is.  I was up to 575 on the leg press, but losing my bodyfat has left me with less energy and I would be nuts to try anything heavy at this time. I don’t think the heat is helping me out much with my appetitite either.   It makes you want to just lie around and watch TV because as soon as you start doing something………sweaty and gross happens.  Thats probably one of the reason I skip traditional cardio, I hate being sweaty and getting overheated.  It makes me feel like vomiting frankly..kind of like paying bills I guess.

Hope everyone is having a good sunday and enjoying the summer! 

I skipped my Friday night alone in the gym workout and went out with my sister. There is this outside popular bar called the Tiki Bar and it was a happening place last night. I met sooooooooo many people and a chick asked if she could makeout with me…sorry  to ruin the male fantasy, it didnt happen. Oddly enough I met alot of gym type people.  I think we are like magnets or something….just a common bond to talk about.  Oh, and while walking to another bar, we (my sis and I) got solicited by a guy "looking for a good time".  What???!!!  I told him I would punch him in the head…weirdo.  I was unaware jeans and a tank top and my sis in her capris was standard hooker wear.   I admit I drank too much…..I think it was like 2 shots of Jager ,4 or 5 Malibu Bay Breezes and a jello shot that did me in.  Let me tell you, I rarely ever drink.  It is not good for muscle growth or hydration, plus it makes me talk too much.  I guess we all need to cut loose sometimes.   My friend Doug works the door and was in my last show (bodybuilder) and he’s one of the people who offered to train me for bodybuilding. He is also on the NPC board, so he knows his stuff.  All in all I had a great time!  I got looked at like a freak ,but lots of people were friendly and maybe it helped me see that not everyone is trying to avoid me like at the gym.  I just needed to expand my horizons a little.

Im going to the gym in a little while.  I got home after 2am, so I slept kind of late and need to get my butt in gear! Speaking of butt, thanks for the advice on this condition I seem to have. I thought maybe I was broken forever, but I dont think so now. Part of the problem is I can’t take anti inflammatories because they make me feel like I have a bleeding ulcer.  My pain meds are limited to Tylenol, which is not anti inflammatory.

I will do a workout blog later.  I know I am slacking a little, but had to take a little break for my own sanity!

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The piriformis syndrome

Stretching the muscle often duplicates the pain. To do the piriformis stretch, lie on your back, and flex the right hip and knee. Now, while grasping the right knee with your left hand, pull the knee towards your left shoulder. This adducts and flexes the hip. In this position, grasp just above the right ankle with the right hand, and rotate the ankle outwards. This applies internal rotation to the hip and completes the stretch. Another way to do this stretch is to stand on your left foot and place the right foot on a chair, such that the right knee and hip are flexed at about 90 degrees. Now, using the right hand, press the right knee across towards the left side of the body while keeping the ball of the right foot on the same spot on the chair.

Another good piriformis/gluteal stretch is demontrated in the stretching section.

Anatomically, the piriformis muscle lies deep to the gluteal muscles. It originates from the sacral spine and attaches to the greater trochanter of the femur, which is the big, bony “bump” on the outside top of the thigh. The sciatic nerve usually passes underneath the piriformis muscle, but in approximately 15% of the population, it travels through the muscle. It is thought that acute or chronic injury causes swelling of the muscle and irritates the sciatic nerve, resulting in sciatica. Patients with an aberrant course of the nerve through the muscle are particularly predisposed to this condition.

The piriformis syndrome is diagnosed primarily on the basis of symptoms and on the physical exam. There are no tests that accurately confirm the diagnosis, but X-rays, MRI, and nerve conduction tests may be necessary to exclude other diseases. Some of the other causes of sciatica include disease in the lumbar spine (e.g. disc herniation), chronic hamstring tendinitis, and fibrous adhesions of other muscles around the sciatic nerve.

Once properly diagnosed, treatment is undertaken in a stepwise approach. Initially, progressive piriformis stretching is employed, starting with 5 seconds of sustained stretch and gradually working up to 60 seconds. This is repeated several times throughout the day. It is important that any abnormal biomechanical problems, such as overpronation of the foot or other coexisting conditions, are treated. This stretching can be combined with physical therapy modalities such as ultrasound. If these fail, then injections of a corticosteroid into the piriformis muscle may be tried. Finally, surgical exploration may be undertaken as a last resort.

A good sports medicine physician with experience in caring for athletes with the piriformis syndrome can help direct appropriate management. With proper diagnosis and treatment, there is no reason for this syndrome to be dreaded. Good luck and good training.

Ok, went to the grocery store today to pick up glucose tabs and juice boxes for work.  We have a diabetic co worker. Sometimes she crashes and it isn’t pretty.  So, Im in my scrub pants and a tank top and yes, people stare.  You know what, even though they kind of shy away from me, I like it. I embrace being "different".  Now they may think I am taking steroids, but so what?  You kind of feel like a celebrity, but one who doesnt get mobbed by photographers…..heheeeeee. 

Tonights a non training day, so bored.  I was tempted to go anyway 3 or 4 times and tomorrow I am going out at night, so I either have to skip my normal friday or go early in the day.  I think I would rather go early than skip.  Plus I may have a few drinks and ruin saturday for myself.  Going out with my sister and her friends may be bad for me.  they like to do shots.  Im not much of a drinker, but have not been drunk since a date 3 years ago where I passed out in a bathroom I think.  No more double shots of Jagermeister for this chick!  I don’t even think I got sloppy, and I think I was fine til I got to the bathroom….then bam.too drunk to move. My other Jagermeister moment was at my brothers wedding when I spent almost the whole afternoon on the dancefloor by myself……..yea…….classic drinking moments………hahaaaaa

I am going to hang out for a bit and watch TV/  I may come on later and talk about bodyweight exercises and how they can replace some of that dreaded cardio!

Later peeps

I was thinking the past few days about how many people in this world are totally screwed up! Its kind of scary. You take your baggage and you check it at the door, understand?  Too many people pissing and moaning about how their lives suck, who screwed them over, and what they don’t have.  Listen , I don’t have squat…….but you know what?  I got some freakin HEART and I have HOPE.  I don’t go into every new relationship or friendship or job or whatever, thinking the worst. You think something bad is going to happen, its going to happen.  You think you are going to fail…….then you ARE going to fail. Maybe I am a naive person, but I don’t really think so.   I have seen more crap in my life than many people and it kills me to hear them bitching about the little things I guess.   Take a look around, people have some pretty crappy lives….probably worse than most of us do. I have my health and I have good kids and I have a decent job.  I guess I was thinking about this because I watch a Tv show on meth addiction.  Those people are walking death.  Hardly anyone comes off meth, they die on it. You want heart?  Watch some kids with cancer, they are the bravest people on this earth……and they are little people. Okay, done complaining…..I’m not talking about you people here, mostly the women I work with and the people who bitch about their insurance all day. Yeah, I have my down days, but they don’t last.

I did some chest and tris .  Nothing too heavy, kind of boring.  I didnt have my MP3 with me and that always seems to be my downfall.  I catch myself listening to peoples conversations, its kind of funny how many guys go there to socialize..to talk about baseball.  I was also talking to the manager and the kid at the desk who told me I am intimidating to men.  What?  Me?  Who?  Come again? Im in there beching 155 and some skinny dude can bench more than that…. you know how hard that is to take for me? being female in there is not easy, I feel like a super wimp. How is that intimidating? 

Back to my workout.  Chest press, tri/chest dips, flat bench, incline bench, db chest presses and pullovers.,,oh chest on cables and dumbbell raises to the front for anterior delts. I have this new self torture where I take 5 lb dumbbells and hold my arms straight out to the sides for as long as possible. Try it, its harder than it sounds!  Its like going under waTER TO SEE how long you can hold your breath.  For tris I did mostly rope press downs and am up to 100lbs.  I did some laying extensions as well.  Then I did supersets of dips and pull ups on the same machine, going back and forth til I couldnt do it anymore. I was there about an hour I guess, so I kept moving pretty well.  

Tomorrow I am going to blog on some food stuff.  Lots of people ask about food, so I want to talk about it a little and talk about bodyweight exercises too. So, til then……..leave the super cranky negative people at the door……..they are just going to drag you down.