jcorbett’s BodyBlog

I spent a week in Costa Rica and ate in the typical Tico tradition. This means that I ate rice & black beans daily, chicken or fish and lots of fruit & salad. I’m sure I ate more than usual. I also packed snacks such as almonds, mixed nuts & Golean cereal for the in between times. Needless to say my diet was off, but I didn’t partake in fatty foods or sugary substances. I was at an all inclusive and didn’t even have one alcoholic beverage–probably because of the kids or more so due to the Mojito incident (see March blog). I was able to train a couple days in the hotel gym, but not like I would at home. I decided to relax and enjoy myself, realizing that I have earned one week off and that when I return home, it’s back to my regular food intake & training schedule.

I gained about 4 pounds so I’m about 148 now, and my mid section looks soft, but thank goodness the stomach is still flat so I enjoyed wearing my bikinis.

It’s interesting that the more body building knowledge I obtain, the more critical I am of myself. I wanted to post some progress photos of my legs, but didn’t think they turned out well. The abs are thicker so I don’t have an hour glass shape and my boobs have shrunk b/c I am not carrying as much body fat. Therefore, I appear fit but have dropped the curves. I want a six pack all the time, but realize I may not possess the body type that yield such results. Additionally, my "off season" body fat percentage is higher so they are not just going to show up as distinctly as they would with lower BF.

Well, my goal of stopping traffic on Flatbush Ave. has not been reached, but I do get stopped when I walk to the gym with comments re: my legs from "strong knees to olympian to beautiful" so I guess I’m on the right track and hope to continue developing the abductor muscles.

Here’s to healthy living…

A man asked me if I was getting ready for competition last week and I responded, "no".  He as well as others have suggested that I pursue competition. I’m not sure how folks can afford to do this. It cost $$ to join the division, and I guess to participate in the actual competition. I need to hire a posing coach ($?) and purchase two posing suits & shoes ($500+). Hair, nails, etc… There’s also the cost of supplements and food for cutting diet. Childcare for extra hours of required training. I’m sure there are some other things that I failed to list? I’m guessing this will cost $2,000 or more? Let’s see, I have to keep a roof over my head, feed my children, etc. and don’t have extra income for such a splurge.

Are all competitors independently wealthy? Or is figure/fitness/bodybuilding competion accessible to those on a tight budget?

Question for amatuer competitors: What is a reasonable detailed budget for competition related expenses? What are some resources for posing suits and shoes?

My current goal is to thicken abdominal muscles and lats, and tighten my adductors. I wanted to develop a four day routine, hitting legs twice weekly–quads one day and hamstring/adductors the second day. This summer I made a smooth transition from working with a personal trainer to training independently until I lost my workout log about 2 weeks ago. It contained most of the weight training routines I did with my trainer–guess it was my crutch. Needless to say I was devastated and surprisingly dumbfounded because of my sruggle to design a new routine based on my current goal. As I reviewed articles in Fitness Oxygen and on the Bodybuilding.com website I realized that I knew the "how to’s" to various exercises, but not the why’s. The why is important information, and should drive the routine, eleminate duplicate activity, and create enough of a challenge to strengthen and shape targeted areas. Fitness Oxygen’s September ‘08 issue offered some great leg supersets that hopefully will help me get more definition in the adductors and flush out the "tear drop effect". My friend loaned me his copy of Delavier’s Strength Training Anatomy, which is a great illustrated guide to strength training. He also helped me with selecting back exercises that will provide greater definition and thickening of my lats. Additionally, we revised my arm, shoulder and chest routine. The abs exercise selection are an ongoing process, but they are a part of the regular routine.

I am still learning about the anatomy and its connection to compound and isolated exercises, but at least I’ve begun the process. The more I learn, the more I realize I don’t know….I guess that’s true with everything.

Here’s my current routine:

M: Legs: Plie squats, stiff legged deadlifts, hamstring curl, reverse lunges. Shoulders: upright rows, bent over lat raises, front raises.
T: Back: chin ups, pull downs, t-bar rows, cable rows, standing v-bar rows. Biceps: barbell curls, incline bicep curls, 21’s.
Th: Chest: incline press, cable crossover. Triceps: weighted dips & pushdowns, tricep extensions, overhead extensions, kickbacks.
F: Legs: leg extensions & leg press (superset), barbell squats, lunges, abductor machine.
Abs: three to four days a week & interval cardio 4 x’s weekly.

This routine will have to change in two weeks because I am going back to work so I’ll have to try to work up a 3 day routine.