The View from the Classroom

Just curious…do others out there prepping for competition feel like they’re on a rollercoaster ride?

I mean, one day I’m feeling great, on top of the world looking down, knowing I’m gonna do fine, ready to take the plunge, and the next, I’m down there thinking "No way I’m gonna be ready.  How in the world am I gonna get up enough speed to make it up that hill?"

Mentally, today is a good day.  I’m thinking I’ll be fine.  Physically, I’m worn out.  After two cardio sessions on Saturday, cardio yesterday and a leg workout last night, knowing I get a day off the cardio tomorrow, I’ll take just making it up the hill today. 

Just got back from cardio…tried the stairmaster first.  After 15 minutes, realized I needed to do something else as I couldn’t get my heart rate up where it needed to be…just didn’t have it in me.  So, I thought I would try something different…the treadmill…haven’t been doing ANY running and really miss it.  Didn’t think I could run today so I started walking on incline.  Got the heart rate up and didn’t feel too bad.  Mixed it up with some sprints, and light running.  Nothing spectacular.  Just getting it done was good.

Will take it easy the rest of the day…go tan, maybe grab a cup of coffee, do some reading and then work chest and back tonight.  Tomorrow will be a light day…abs and lunges…then back to it on Wednesday.

I can do this

I really enjoy reading diet and training info from other competitors with far more experience than me so that I can learn from those that have gone before me. So, I thought I would share my current diet and training thinking that maybe it could help someone else down the road. And…as always, if anyone has input, please share!!

Diet is basically 4 days at 1620 calories with 216g protein, 50g carbs and 44g fat with a "refeed" on day 5 where carbs are increased to 100g, protein decreased to 150g and fat increased to 60g. Calories are staying the same on all days. I will do this through next Wednesday (Woohoo, I get to refeed (no cheats though) on the 4th!!). I will be checking in with my trainer at that time and am sure she’ll have some changes to make for the last week.

Weight training has not changed significantly through any of my contest prep…4 days a week…hit every body part once per week and legs twice. I have had to take it easy on the legs due to the herniated disk, but just minor tweaks.

I have added daily walking lunges…4 sets, usually with 10-25 lb plates depending on how I feel, as many as I can do which is usually about 30 steps per set.

Cardio is fasted, 4 days on, alternating 45 minute and 60 minute sessions and rest on day 5. I also squeeze in an extra evening session on one of the 4 days. I’ve been alternating the stairmaster and elliptical as those are easiest on the disk, but really miss running, so may try that once in the next few days to see how it goes. And…practicing the posing everyday.

That’s it…I must say that with it, I’m feeling pretty good…not too tired…not too hungry…numbers are staying about the same which makes it hard to not get frustrated, but I see changes when I look in the mirror which seems to be a more accurate picture of how I’m doing these days.

Last night, the chairman of the show I’m doing called to confirm receipt of my entry form, make sure we were on the same page, answer my questions, etc…I didn’t expect that at all and thus, was impressed that he took the time

Learned that there are 8 girls in my class…sounds like a good number!

So…here’s something I misunderstood…I intentionally marked two classes on my entry form…"Novice Figure" and "Masters Figure"…both were on the Novice form and so I assumed both were Novice classes.  Nope.  The "Masters" is just that…not "Novice" at all, just us old folks AND the show for that class is Saturday night.  The Novice show is Friday night.  To save time the prejudging for the Masters class is being done Friday night.  For me, that means Friday AND Saturday night shows.  OMG!!!

All kinds of things are going through my mind…I was planning on being done Friday night…maybe go to the beach Saturday with the family…have a cheat meal or two…things like that.

So, what does that mean for my diet?  How do I make sure I’m good for the Friday night show and even better for the Saturday night show?

What about the tan?  Will I need to apply MORE on Saturday?

And then there are the questions I already had…do I apply the tan to my face or just use make-up?  False eye-lashes, yes or no?  How many coats of JanTana will I need anyway?  How many days in advance will I need to start applying the JanTana?  Ugh!

Deep breath….

I know I have time to figure these things out and to cozy up to the idea of getting on stage two nights in a row so I’m not gonna stress.   But…input from those of you with experience would be helpful.  Please share!

Had to write cause FINALLY the numbers are showing all my hard work…the 2 lbs that showed up last Sunday, GONE …back at 130…and body fat is down to 9.15%…ankles seem to be back to normal so I’m chalking that up to hormonal issues as I couldn’t figure out anything else that would cause it.  Life is good.

Didn’t do the tan last night, but definitely am doing it this afternoon…keep fingers crossed…that just scares me…don’t want to be walking around all orange or anything…guess that’s why I’m doing it now…just to see while I have time to fix anything that doesn’t go right.

Best part of today…NO CARDIO…woooohooooo!!!!!!!!!!  Only lunges and abs (at home)…sounds like a day off to me!!

Life is definitely good

Exactly 3 weeks from my first contest…

Some concerns (I’m not in panic mode, so don’t tell me to "chillax", Michael )…the 2 lbs that showed up on Sunday hasn’t gone away and my ankles have been totally swollen since Monday night, except that today they do seem almost normal…any thoughts on what might be causing that? 

Diet hasn’t really changed except a few calories less than last week…cardio has increased a bit…alternating 45 minute and 60 minute sessions and taking every 5th day off.  With increased cardio and the swollen ankles, I thought maybe increased water intake would help so been drinking at least 5 quarts.

Weight training is pretty much the same…still taking it easy on the legs due to herniated disc.  Working bi’s and tri’s tonight…one of my favorite workouts!!!   Oh yeah, I’m gonna put my tan on tonight to see how that goes )…wish me luck!!!

Gonna TRY to get some video of tonight’s workout so I can add that to my site…stay tuned!!

If you happened to catch my last blog from this morning, you know I was feeling a little down…things were getting to me…the scale was up 2 lbs after busting my butt on the cardio and limiting my carbs to 2 meals a day…didn’t want to go to the gym cause the legs were way sore…I was just plain tired and cranky  AND it was pouring down rain…perfect day to stay in bed!! 

HOWEVER…I DID go to they gym and I DID do my 1 hour of cardio and it wasn’t a wimpy, half-assed hour either, I pushed myself hard.  2/3 of the way through I felt like I was going to break down and cry…I swear something MUST be up with my hormones.  But, after I finished, got home and ate, took an oh so hot, relaxing shower and some new pics I was feeling WAY better.

Moral…do what you must do whether you want to or not.  Chances are you’ll be glad you did.  At least you won’t beat yourself up for NOT doing it!

Aren’t you supposed to LOSE weight and body fat when you up the cardio and cut the carbs for contest prep??????  Yes???  Why then is my weight up 2 pounds?  I’ve been religiously doing my cardio and eating EXACTLY what I’m supposed to.  Drinking my gallon of water.  Staying out of the natty pb, LOL!!!

On top of that, my legs are killing me…walking lunges, I presume.

Makes it hard to drag my a$$ to the gym today for the hour cardio session I have scheduled, but I will cause I know in my mind that a weight gain of 2 lbs overnight is not really possible.  I also know that if I stick to the plan, the numbers, in the end, will reflect the hard work.

Off to the gym…wish me luck…it’s gonna be brutal…

Got my changes on the diet and workouts yesterday from my trainer…yep…increased cardio  and slightly lower calories. Just what I was expecting 4 weeks out.

So…had to do a second cardio session last night to bring yesterday’s total to 1 hour and did 45 minutes fasted cardio on the elliptical this morning…I think I’ve done more cardio in the last week than I did in the prior 3 months!!!

I’m wondering how everyone else does HIIT for a whole hour…45 minutes of it totally kicked my ass.  After a 5 minute warm-up, I alternated 2 minutes low intensity (heart rate about 120) and 2 minutes high intensity (heart rate in the 150-160 range) and then did a 5 minute cool-down at the end.  Any ideas on how else to do it would be welcome.

Will do some walking lunges (trainer says I need to do these EVERY day, but I’m totally ok with that) and work chest this pm with hubby.  Can’t wait

One month from my first contest and I mailed my entry form yesterday making it official.  No turning back now!!!

Feeling pretty good about everything except for the butt/backs of the legs.  However, after scrutinizing the pics from yesterday, I do think I’ve made progress.  Definitely not ready to share THOSE pics though

In the last two weeks, I’ve increased the cardio and cut the carbs somewhat.  Cardio has been 5 times a week, 30-40 minutes of HIIT, fasted, which is new to me.  Can’t say I love that, but whatever it takes, huh?  Doing 2 of 6 meals with carbs for 4 days and then a refeed day on which I have carbs at 5 of 6 meals.  LOVE the refeed day!!!

Trying to take it easy on the leg workouts with the herniated disc and the pain isn’t quite as bad…still want to be careful though.

Practicing the posing, but still needs work.  Got my tanning products yesterday and think I will give those a try in a week or so…that makes me nervous…just want to get the tan right.

Make-up is bothering me.  I don’t wear a lot on a day-to-day basis so I’m stressing about it a little.  Anyone with tips, PLEASE share. 

Other than that, it’s all good

Ok.  This isn’t for sympathy.  And I surely don’t need a lecture.  Matter of fact, I’m not sure why I’m writing this at all.  I guess I just am not "inspired" enough today to write about anything else.

I’ve had this pain in my left glute and down the leg for awhile now.  Anyone who knows me knows I don’t go to the doctor unless I absolutely have to.  I’m healthy.  Never had anything major wrong with me in my life.  "Suck it up" could be my motto.  And…the pain hasn’t interferred with my cardio (only time it doesn’t really hurt) or even too much of my lifting  so, how bad could it be?

But…the pain has not gone away.  So a few days ago, I call my orthopedic surgeon brother who immediately says "Sounds like you have a herniated disc and you need to come see me (he’s about 2 hours away) and have an MRI done."  He goes on to explain to me treatment options if that is in fact the case and tells me about his personal experience with the exact same problem.  After 4 or 5 months of suffering, he woke up in a Chicago hotel not being able to get out of bed…my reply?  "I have a contest in 5 weeks!  I’ve put too much time and work into this to NOT do it!!"  My brother understands completely (I mean, he’s an orthopedic surgeon, probably KNEW what his problem was and still didn’t do anything about it!).  So yesterday, I go see him.

EXACTLY what he said…herniated disc.  So that’s where I’m at.  He prescribed medication and told me that no surgeon is going to do surgery at this stage (symptoms haven’t gone on long enough).  told me that with this medication and rest, history has shown that a lot of cases clear up and surgery isn’t necessary.  The "doctor" told me that I should lay off lifting, but the "brother" knows that I won’t.

My plan…lay off the lifting…well, at least a little…yesterday was just a cardio day and I did that prior to seeing him.  Today is no cardio and tri’s and bi’s which I worked on Tuesday for some reason so they don’t have to be worked today.  Tomorrow is just cardio.  Sunday, one of two leg days so I can take it off.  After that, I’m lifting, but will take it easy on the legs…no deadlifts, no weighted squats, stuff like that.  Major pain in the a$@, minor bump on the road to my contest