stormyiii’s BodyBlog

Since November I’ve been on the Kelly Bagget bulking program (the book’s title is "How to gain slabs of lean muscle without turning into a tub of lard in the process" I kid you not!).  The basic premise is a 14 day cycle with 11 days of eating and training for bulking followed by 3 days of eating and training for cutting.  After three and a half months I’m up to 143lbs, but my waist has only gone up 1 inch.  Also, my strength has improved alot!  I’m benching 70lbs a hand for flat dumbell press, 55 a hand for incline press, and shoulder press of 45lbs.

I like this program, as I get to eat a greater variety of food.  The three days of lower calories/no carbs is actually a bit of a relief after 11 days of chowing down.  Also like the workout programs which mix density movements and cardio movements

Yep, that’s right, I took first place in the Master’s Women at the competition on Saturday!  And this is a true first place, there were other competitors (unlike the April comp, where I was the only participant in Heavyweight women).  Also placed 2nd in the Women’s Open class, out of a field of 6.  A year ago I placed 2nd and 3rd respectively in the same competition.  I hit the comp at about 128lbs (no weigh-in as it was an open class).  I think I looked the best I ever have.  Pics to come.

 These events run by the IDFA are really alot of fun.  Not only are they held in great venues like real theatres with professional lighting and sound systems, they’re also well organized, punctual, and geared to making the athletes feel like they matter!  AND THEY’RE TESTED!  Polygraph the night before, and 2 random urine tests that night.  The pumpup room is large, covered with tarps on the floor and plastic on the walls.  Before the compulsories in the morning, they have everybody up on stage for a pep talk and to show us where to stand on the stage for the best lighting.  In fact, they even have it marked out in tape.  I’ve been in other competitions where the athletes are handled like cattle, with no real attempt to make them feel comfortable. 

It’s the other competitors that really make the event, though.  Just about everyone is having fun, talking and getting to know one another, pumping each other up and sharing tips.  I mean, yeah, ultimately we’re all there to kick the other girls’ butts; it wasn’t all chuckles & smiles.  But I’ve really never had as much fun as at an IDFA comp.  Heads up to all you naturals out there that want to compete, check out www.idfa.ca for their event schedule.  Shaun and Desmona run a class act!

It was a pretty rough ride getting there this time, though.  I’ve pushed myself harder this year than I ever have in my life, I’ve never remained so committed to a goal for such a long time.  It didn’t help any that I wasn’t able to take any time off for this one.  One of my employees has been away on vacation since Oct 27, and my clients seem to have all decided to get insanely busy at the same time.  I’d planned to take the Friday before the comp off, then amended it to taking off at noon.  I didn’t get out until 2 o’clock, and even then only because I decided f**kit!  As a result, I hit rush hour traffic on the 401 hwy on my way to Toronto.  Can you say 20 km/h for about 45 minutes surrounded by monster trucks ready to eat my little Yaris?  By the time I got to the hotel, I was ready to collapse, which is what I did after eating my rice, pineapple & cashew mix.

It all got better after that, though.  Passed out on a very comfy bed until Nick showed up, ate steak & yams, went for the polygraph, ate more steak & yams, then passed out again.  The venue was just a short 3 block walk away from the hotel, so no stress getting there in time.  Of course, chomping back lots of chocolate covered raisins with sips of wine is also kind of guaranteed to put me in a good mood too!  The compulsories went well, although running in two categories means twice the work, and we went through almost all the poses twice in the Open class. 

The night show was more relaxed, of course.  It’s my favourite part of a competition since I get to show off my routine.  And what a rush when the crowd started cheering as soon as I completed the first pose!  I used part of "Pass It Around" by God Made Me Funky for my music.  I muffed the routine, but nobody noticed it except me thankfully, even Nick didn’t see it.  And when the announcer called my number as the winner, I almost burst into tears (I know, sappy, eh?).

So now, I’m giving myself a week of eating and rest.  Well, I’ll be in the gym tomorrow, but nothing really intense until next Monday.  Then look out, this time next year I want 10lbs of hard muscle on top of what I have now, shredded wheels and a quarter-bouncing butt.  I’m taking a pro card next November!

Geez, I’m really bad about keeping this up!  Didn’t realize it had been so long since my last post!  I’ll blame getting ready for this comp, it’s in 6 days and I'’m really too concentrated on it to do much else.

So, 6 days out and I’m at 130 lbs (give or take a few ounces).  That was my competition weight in April, so I’m even leaner this time!  Conversely, I’m feeling much more tired this time around.  I think my body is rebelling against being asked to do this 3 times in one year.  For the last two weeks I’ve been doing total body workouts each time, mainly because I really need to blast the legs and butt.  I’m definitely seeing results in those ares.  I do, however, still have the loose skin problem in the gluteal area.  When I clench the muscles there I have this puckered seam running up each cheek.  The legacy of being 190lbs I guess.

So, tomorrow is the start of the carb deplete.  Not looking forward to that!  I am looking forward to the carb up, though!  And to the post comp pigout.  Bread and Cheese, here I come!

So, I finally got to see the Discovery Civilizations documentary on bodybuilding that was filmed back in March & April.  It’s weird seeing yourself on tv!  I’d been told by a number of friends at the gym that I look really fierce when I workout, and I never really understood what they were talking about.  Well, now I do.  Man, do I ever make scary faces! 

The show was pretty balanced, and especially good at dispelling the myth that all bodybuilders are narcissistic meat heads who spend all day in the gym.  It also highlighted the double standard that exists in the sport between male and female bodybuilders.  Mostly it showed that anyone who competes has to work damn hard to get very little reward.

Now it’s all about the November IDFA competition in Toronto.  Seven weeks out and I’m still bumping up my weights, actually made 65lbs a hand on the dumbell chest press this week!  OMIGOD!  And a year ago I was convinced I’d never break 50lbs.  Have been working legs 2x a week for a couple of months now, I think they’re going to look the best they ever have.  This will be my last competition for at least a year — I’ve done three this year.  Now I just want to concentrate on getting some more muscle without turning into a blob.  Found this great book by Kelly Baggett called "The No Bull Bodybuilding Plan".  It’s based on a 14 day cycle, 11 days building and 3 cutting, so you’re always gaining muscle without adding alot of fat.  Personally, I’d like to have a deeper chest (so it looks like I have cleavage), bigger shoulders and a higher, tighter butt.  When I step on stage again in a year, I wanna hear people gasping in awe! LOL

Got into the gym today for a chest workout — my favourite!  The boyfriend was there, so of course I worked even harder to impress him.  Achieved two personal bests today, 60lbs a hand on the dumbell press and 60lbs plus the heavy bar for incline press!  Wahoo!  Needless to say, I’m still pretty pumped about this!

Which made what happened later all that more upsetting. 

As I was finishing off with concentration curls, I noticed another couple there.  They were younger — probably early 20s.  He was fit, but nothing to write home about, and she was overweight.  My first impression was "Great, he’s doing something positive for her by going to the gym with her!"  Then I saw the way he was treating her.  She was trying to do skull crushers, first lying down and then sitting up.  She was obviously having difficulty, and her range of motion seemed limited.  Instead of spotting her, or trying to show her another triceps exercise, he threw his hands up in exasperation and said (quite loudly) "So what CAN you do?" and then left her sitting there.

She then came over to the area I was in, and started to do hammer curls (again).  I offered to show her some triceps exercises on the pulleys.  Turns out she has a severe limitation due to an injury from an auto accident.  So I showed her how to do pulldowns, pushdowns and overhead extensions using the ropes on the pulley machine.  She thanked me profusely.

I wanted to go over and chew out the guy, but knew that I’d be way out of line.  It really pisses me off, to see guys like this.  I’m sure he bitches at her constantly about her weight, and tells her she should get into the gym.  When she does, he treats her like dirt and makes her even less likely to succeed.  Do guys like this think they’re actually helping?  I know from experience how intimidating the whole gym experience can be when you’re overweight (former 190lb fatty here).  If I hadn’t had the support of the people at GoodLife, and a great boyfriend who cheered me on every step of the way, I’d probably still be sitting on the couch stuffing my face and feeling sorry for myself. 

So guys, if you want your SO to lose weight, or tone up, or even just learn to love workingout, try being supportive!  Don’t expect her to get it right the first time, find exercises she can do, build her up to working with the freeweights, and tell her she’s doing great just getting into the gym in the first place!  

I could rant on more, and probably will, but I gotta eat!

Hey everyone!  I finally got confirmation that the documentary I filmed back in March/April will be aired on 11th Sept at 9:00pm ET on Discovery Civilizations.  Since I don’t have a tv, or cable, my family is going to make a big deal of it at my sister’s house, where we can watch it on her 72" plasma high def tv (whoo-hoo!).

I don’t really remember alot of what I said during the interviews, so if I put my foot in my mouth, I guess the whole world will know soon enough!  I’m sure that it will generate some "discussion", I think I was the only natural athlete they interviewed. I tried not to be too negative about steroid use, I figure if you want to do that to your body, that’s your business.  I just don’t think the benefits outweigh the risks.

Over and above that excitement, I’m back to prepping for a November competition in Toronto.  Then that’s it for at least a year, maybe two.  I have a business to run and a house to renovate, and muscle to build!  Speaking of business, it’s back to the grindstone now, been working until about 11 o’clock lately, just trying to keep up.  No morning cardio on a consistent basis yet, but I am hitting the gym and watching the diet (sigh, no more cottage cheese and rye bread, back to the oatmeal and egg whites!).  Actually, I’ve discovered that if you mix the egg whites with a half measure of protein powder and about 1/4 cup of unsweetened almond milk with crushed ice cubes, it’s kind of like drinking a milkshake!  Also, check out the LowCarb Grocery online at www.thelowcarbgrocery.com , they’ve got great zero calorie syrups that make oatmeal actually taste good!

Haven’t posted in awhile, just been too busy or tired, usually.  The crazy season has started at my business, so it’s a struggle just to get a workout in, let alone spend time on the net!

After the competition in April I approached some of the judges to ask what I needed to improve.  No surprise, its the legs and glutes!  These areas are a huge challenge for me for several reasons.  First, that’s where I still carry the legacy of my gigantor days (190lbs).  While I’ve made great progress in getting rid of the fat, the skin is still really loose and the saddlebag deposits are fighting a real holding action.  Secondly, I have pretty bad knee problems, the kind that have doctors telling me that I shouldn’t be working on legs at all (like THAT’S gonna happen!).  Only recently have I encountered someone who offered me solutions.  So I have to do maximum reps (15 - 20, four sets) with wimpy weights.  I’m beat at the end of each leg workout, but without that really good burn feeling.  It’s very hard for me to do this, I’ve got a rep at the gym for being the chick who lifts like a guy!  Yet here I am doing hack squats on the Smith machine with only 50lbs.  Granted, I go to the bottom of the well with each rep, but still ….

The biggest revelation for me was Good Mornings.  Yowsa!  When done right, these are guaranteed to make your hamstrings and adductors plead for mercy.  I’ve also taken to occasionally doing these while seated on the bench.  You can really feel the adductors then.  Now if I could just find something equally effective for the quads, any suggestions are welcome.

BTW, check out the music video I put together with pics from my last two competitions.  It was composed using a really cool site called Animoto.  It lets you upload your photos, shuffle them around, choose music (yours or theirs) then composes them into a slideshow video.  Check it out!

‘Kay, gotta pack for the weekend.  The BF is moving on Saturday, guess the muscle will come in useful!

Just a really quick post… the new pics are in from the April competition.  I’ve definitely added some size since last November, and I think this is the leanest I’ve ever looked.  Check out the vascularity!  More later.

I’ll keep it short, since I am beat!  Placed first in Heavyweight women’s and third in Masters.  Unfortunately, I was the only heavyweight competitor!  For the first time I tracked down a couple of the judges and asked them where I lost my points.  No big surprise, it’s the legs and butt.  Have to focus in on them for November. 

It was kind of a hectic day, what with getting tanned, carbo loading, and having the film crew around.  Luckily Nick was there to help keep me on track and get me ready.  The organizers very wisely decided to judge all the bodybuilders before the figure competitors, so we were out of there by 1:00 and I was able to catch a nap before the evening show.

For some reason the evening show schedule was completely rearranged at the last minute, which made for a lot of confusion back stage.  My parents almost didn’t get to see me compete, as they weren’t expecting me to be on for another hour!

Post comp pigout was heaven, garlic bread with cheese and fish and chips!  Then high tea the next day, with scones and clotted cream, sandwiches and lots of little cakes.  I found myself dipping out handfuls of Glossette raisins while reading last night, and realized I had to purge the last of the junk from my place before things got out of hand.  So I’ve given away the last of the Eatmores and Glossettes, tossed the last of the rice cakes.  Back to the straight and narrow!

I’ll post pics when I get them.

Only six more days ’til the contest, and I’m into the second day of waterloading (urp).  Word of advice to all thinking of trying their first contest; when waterloading stay real close to bathroom facilities and go commando!

Looks like I’ve packed on a few pounds of muscle since the November contest, as I’m currently at 134 lbs, but leaner and more vascular than I’ve ever been!  Guess I must be doing something right!

Hopefully I’ll be able to post at least one more before D-Day.  If not, the next post will tell you how I placed.

Looking forward to that pigout meal post-comp!