Sarah’s BodyBlog

I decided to start a journal…follow me here; http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=118077041

THANKS! 

WOW, it’s been awhile since my last post and I’ve vowed to make this (blogging) a more regular thing now. I’m quickly approaching the end of my off-season and coming upon cutting time. I’ve been in "maintenance" mode now for 4 weeks after bulking since Sept of 08′. I’ve gone up a few more pounds than intended during this off-season but I’ve actually managed to keep my bf% low so I’m not gonna complain. I’m more vascular NOW than I was when I cut - I’ve got veins in my shoulders (when pumped) and of coarse down my arms/biceps but now even in my chins and calves. WILD!

 Anyway, I’m currently about 18 weeks out from my first comp of 09′ which will be the Erik Frankhouser/Animal West Virginia NPC show again. It’s the weekend before Team Universe which will be my first national show and one that I’m determined to kick some ass at. No-one knows who I am, where I’m from, or even what my face looks like let alone know my name - but, after Team Universe I fully intend on changing that….hopefully! As much as I’d like to think I have a shot at my PRO card at my first national attempt, I’m going to stay realistic - hence competing in the Frankhouser show again. I’m hoping to win if not place top 5 (which I WILL) so that I’m nationally qualified again for 2010. Competing in the TU is solely for the purpose of seeing where I stand amongst the future pro’s in regards to size and symmetry. I’ve gained some considerable size this off-season so I’ll be coming in at my best yet in terms of muscularity.

 My official cut begins June 1st (~14weeks out) and at that time I’ll post more details as to the regimen I am/will be following.

*update*

So I competed Sept 13th in Erik Frankhouser’s 2008 Mid Atlantic Grand Prix in Wheeling, WV and placed 1st in Figure Class D which now qualifies me for nationals. I have to give it to Heather Frankhouser for pulling together an awesome show! I’ve never competed in a show that was run so smoothly on stage, off stage, and especially backstage…WOW - I was really impressed. Animal supplied some killer competitor goody bags *thank you* and all of the judges were very helpful in their critiques and advice. This was my first stab at competing within NPC and I’m glad that I did. Anyone who knows me personally, sees my hardwork and dedication to my sport. I have many goals, and have slowly been accomplishing each one step at a time. I’m a very passionate person about what I believe and drive and push myself to achieve what my mind is set on. In 2009 I feel there will be many changes in my life, all for the better. I look forward to attaining my Pro card in 2009 and infiltrating the fitness industry. My fitness modeling is picking up and my training is about to take off as well. I’ve got some solid clientele and videos coming out in 2009, as well as calendars. I’m currently working on my personal website and hoping to gain some sponsorship by the close of 2008 to help me be all I can be for the 2009 competition season.

A special thanks to everyone who encouraged, supported, and pushed me. For all those believing in me and helping me through everything. I appreciate all I’ve been given, blessed with, and all those I’ve been fortunate enough to come to know and love. Dan - I would have never crossed this milestone without you and I look forward to both of us getting our Pro cards in 2009. Bryan - your attention to detail and experience helped me adjust my diet on an as needed basis throughout my prep and I appreciate you tolerating my "freak outs" and complaining! Controlled Labs - your products have continued to aid in the improvement of my physique on and off-season. I stand by your products 110% and will continue to do so.

 I look forward to some strong gains this off-season. My coarse of action is to build more mass yet keep within 10 pounds of my contest weight. I’ll be taking my usual supplements but the staples will be Green Magnitude, GlycerGrow, Purple Wrath, Whiteflood, whey protein, cassein protein, and glutamine.

 Stay tuned….

Alrighty then…my workout partner has decided to drop from our intended Sept 13th NPC show in West Virginia, so…do I go on and compete w/o him and take my hand in NPC as I spoke about in my last post? OR…do I follow through with the OCB competition with 6 of my good friends like we had originally planned in ending our competition season? The OCB is local and all my family/friends were disappointed when I told them I’d changed my mind to competing in WV. I don’t want to be hypocritical to the last post but maybe I should wait, do 1 more clean 18 week bulk and open the season with an NPC comp next year. AHHHHH  What do you all think? Honestly….

Mental games are kicking in too….don’t feel I’m ready…looking a bit puffy…do I need more cals maybe? Certainly don’t need less….what to do what to do.

HOLA! It’s been awhile since I last posted a blog, many life changing events and living a hectic schedule kinda put a damper on my intended weekly posts…sorry. Anywho, alot has changed so here’s an update:

 After much discussion and debate amongst myself and fellow lifting/competition buddies at the gym; I’ve decided to compete in the NPC, the show date still being Sept 13th. The competition will be held in Wheeling, WV at the casino and gaming resort and hosted by Erik Frankhouser. The major factor behind my change of heart is due to my desire and aspiration to really make a name for myself within the fitness industry and to also attain my goal of really kicking off my fitness modeling. Of all the fit femme’s gracing the covers of the major fitness publications, the majority of them are NPC and FAME competitors. IMO, these 2 organizations offer the most exposure and success above the others. I also aspire to eventually gain my IFBB Pro card for Figure so what better org than NPC to gain such status?!? 

 Now I’ve thought long and hard about this. I’m going to go into this competition level headed, realizing that I’ll likely be the smallest physique on stage muscularity wise as most women competing within FAME and NPC have much muscle than I currently carry. My reason for doing NPC as my last show this year is to get an idea of where I stand so that this off-season, I can work on what needs fixing and come back next year to get that PRO card…hopefully. My workout partner will also be competing in the same show so it makes it that much more exciting! He’s a newbie but will do great I’m sure…check him out actually www.bodyspace.com/703dpg 

My weight has dropped a bit (4 lbs) and my cuts have gotten deeper as I’ve eliminated carbs and have only done carb loading every 7 days (Sundays) consisting of 3/4-1 cup cooked oats and 1.5 cups of brown or wild rice. My other training; Team Ruthless is going great and I’ll be shooting a combat calendar for them in Sept so I’m stoked about that! I’ll be extra ripped for the shoot as a result of my competition so the pictures should be killer, I’ll post them for sure! I’ve also been invited to join Team Ruthless as one of their elite trainers so any of you local to DC, MD, or VA and looking to take your fitness up a notch contact me! I can come to your home, meet you at a track/field/park, or you can come out to our fight club and training facility in Manassas, Va.

 I’m  doing my measurements and bf% tomorrow morning so tune into my stats on bodyspace for that updated info. A few thank you’s are in line also: Dan, Anthony, Brian, Moe, Erin, Ashley, Grandaddy, Omar, and all of my bodyspace supporters   THANK YOU KINDLY!

 Later this week or early next, I’ll post an update with more details to my training and diet….stay tuned….

Alrighty…this past weekend was a carb loading one and man did I enjoy the hell out of it! Saturday morning I was in the gym for a little arm maintenance work and abs. Afterwards, my training partner and I met up for some of my fav food ever…Kabob. So, I had boneless chicken breast flamed kabob with whole wheat Naan bread, brown rice, chickpeas, and a salad. YUM! On Sunday, my training partner and I hit legs pretty hard - lighter weights but more reps. We split a healthy pizza from a place called ZPizza. If anyone hasn’t had this yet (from Cali) I highly suggest getting it! Each slice is half (or more) the calories than that of Pizza Hut, Papa John’s etc. They use organic, soy, and whole wheat products. We had a whole wheat crust grilled chicken pizza with low fat mozz, tomatoes, capers, artichokes, and garlic sauce. Last night, after my afternoon at the pool; I grilled a filet mignon steak and sauteed some perogies in olive oil to finish off my carb up weekend. I’ve spent most of today savoring the delicacy’s I enjoyed and refocusing on the task at hand. This morning’s cardio session was tough and I didn’t make it all the way through. Not sure if it’s because of irregularity in this past weekends diet, or taking my Lean Extreme on an empty stomach. I experienced the same issue as this morn last Tuesday tho I’m not sure if the 2 incidences are related. I was able to still get my ab routine knocked out however so I don’t feel a complete failure.

I noticed a dramatic increase in my hunger levels over the weekend (hence carb up) as a result (assuming) of my 3 day Wed-Fri intense training routine addition to my current program. My glutamine consumption is becoming more and more critical as my body is having less time to recover than originally. Tonight is back/bi night as well as a crucial crossfit like routine for the Team Ruthless thing I’m doing.

 Have a great day everyone!

Alright, as a follow-up…here are the details of my contest preperation as well as my current stats.

I’m 10 weeks out, standing 5′8" and 140 pounds with about 13% bf (digital calipers). This past April 26th I competed @ 128 pounds and 13% bf so I’m very pleased with my current bodyfat. My target for Sept 13th is to weigh in around 133-135 and 10-11% bf. IMO, 128 pounds was too light and left me looking rather skinny and flat as opposed to appearing full and muscular. I recently completed a mini bulk phase and while I’m not concrete on the exact amount of muscle I managed to gain, visually I can see that my upper body in particular, has gained a bit more size. OK, here goes the details:

 Workout Schedule: Monday is back/bi’s, Tuesday is chest/tri’s, Wednesday is legs, Thursday is shoulders, Friday is arms, Saturday is REST, Sunday is another leg day.

Cardio Schedule: Monday 35 minutes, Tuesday sprints, Friday 35 minutes, Saturdays or Sundays I play field hockey (sprinting/jogging) for 2 hours on a league.

 Diet: 6 meals a day every 3 hours, 1500-1700 cals - 60/20/20 (p/c/f)  My carbs are oatmeal, small serving of fresh pineapple, and brown rice. Proteins are egg whites, shakes, chicken, tilapia, and ground turkey with occassional intake of lean red meat or ham steaks. I eat brocolli like it’s my job and add a small tbsp of fresh salsa to my ground turkey when I have it. Spinach and albacore tuna is a daily meal also. Other than that, nothing else is in my diet for the most part. On the weekends, I allow myself a bit more carbs but nothing excessive and still stick with quality carbohydrates.

Supplements: L-Carnitine, Glutamine, Whey Protein Powder, Lean Extreme (7-OH), Sesamin, CLA, Purple Wrath (BCAA), Green Magnitude (Creatine), Whiteflood (NO/Energy)

 Addt’l Training: 3x’s a week I participate in/with Team Ruthless for functional training. Most of the workouts are similar to that of crossfit, little to no rest in between sets, kettle bells, core stabilization, sparing, power movements. Each workout is about 35-45 minutes in length.

I think that about sums it up, please give suggestions and feedback! Thx!

By suggestion, I have decided to start a blog outlining my progress, hardships, gains, and experiences in preparing for my next competition on Sept. 13th. I’ll be competing in the OCB Presidential Cup, entering both the fitness model and figure open tall divisions. My previous experience with OCB on April 26th was my first, and as an organization I strongly hold their ethics to heart. The competition was run smoothly, the athletes were well taken care of, and overall the judging was very fair and non political. All of the judges gave me extremely valuable feedback both positive and negative in terms of what I need to do and what I have done to help me advance in my fitness endeavors. I decided to do the Sept. 13th show about 13 weeks out @ 145 pounds and probably 15% bf. I was beginning to get sick of my "post contest binging" and "vacation" eating and thus, decided to get back to my normal lifestyle and eating habits. It’s now 10 weeks out from competition and I’m currently at 140 pounds and 13% bf. According to some who’ve known me over the years, I’ve visually added size to my upper body (something many judges suggested). I can tell this is so as I have maintained 140 pounds for over 6 years now yet I’m wearing a smaller dress size than ever before. My strength has increased dramatically and given me alot more motivation for working out even harder.

 In my next post, I’ll give details as to my current supplements, diet, and training routine. Suggestions and feedback are strongly encouraged…that’s why I’m on this site!!