its 6:30 am holiday monday. for those of you not canadian, july 1st is canada's birthday, our 'dominion day'. i can honestly say this was the first three day weekend in quite some time that i wasn't desperately looking forward to. could it be that i am currently in a happier place right now? i do hope so. people at the gym seem to think so. there have been more than a few comments of late about how nice it is that i have my smile back.
we have three trophies at the gym. one was won by a basketball team we sponsored and the other two are mine; last years 2nd place and this years first. one of my clients has always said that there should be a trophy case installed. he even went so far as to say he was going to get one and bring it in. i am fairly certain he was joking.
yesterday while at the gym waiting my client to show up. i happened to look up at where the trophies were the figurine on the 2007 trophy was sporting a pimp lean that i didn't quite remember. i asked the staff guy what was up with the trophy and he went over to where she was to pick her up. she came up but the base didn't. rob set about trying to fix her with duct tape. rob's got a big heart... and he is a bit of a character in his own right.
my client came in, in the midst of operation trophy repair and he was pretty upset. he has taken the pieces of my trophy to his 'plant' where he intends on fixing her. he then told my coach that he WILL be also be bringing in a trophy case!!
i am still having my one meal a week cheat, it is still a gorge fest at this point. saturday night was with some of my friends from the old skatepark days. and i even got to meet a couple of the new girlfriends. both kathleen and kerry seem very nice... but mostly it was just really nice to see rog and jamie so happy. we went to casey's where i polished off another 3 cheese bison burger, sweet potato fries, 2 roses from my cookie bouqet and heidi's mile high chocolate cake. i was STUFFED... i am amazed really, that i didn't hurl in my helmet on the bumpy ride home.
speaking of jade, there is news on the bike front. i recently burned out my headlight bulb and on saturday morning i replaced it. working on a bike is not an easy thing to do. everything is so close together and the space small and confined. you can only really either look at what you need to do or put your hands in there and do it. that brings my bike maintenance/repair skills up to three. i can bleed the gas from the carb to unblock any dirt deposits, i can remove and replace the battery and now i can replace a bulb. i must say i really do enjoy learning how to take care of jade.
i joined a ex 500 bike forum and its helped me understand my bike a bit more. its also cool because a lot of those guys have modified or restored their bikes and it has always been something i've toyed with the idea of doing. in the past everytime i have mentioned it i have been talked out of it. i'm told not to waste my money as i will eventually be moving up to a bigger bike. i'm not sure about that, there are a lot of happy ex 500 owners on my board. and i'm not sure i'm going to be putting THAT much money into her. basically i want to do this all myself... just to see if i can.
so my plan is, to store her maybe a month early (like i did last year). and then take off her 'plastics' and her seat. before the 'winter' comes i want to try to do some fiberglass repair on the two really bad spots on my front fairing, (by the signal lights). over the winter i will go to a fabric store and purchase vinyl and a thin cushion and reupolster my seat. in the new year, when i am too 'stoned' from dieting to ride, i hope to touch up the paint on the plastics and when i can 'ride' put the bikey back together. i think it will be an interesting challenge... and if you have been reading this blog for more than a minute, you will know this is one girl who loves her challenges!!!
better get going, training back with my coach this a.m and i need to squeeze in another meal before we deadlift.
Monday, July 02, 2007
Friday, June 29, 2007
the state of fbb
you know i was all set to blog yesterday morning about an alarming trend ive noticed within the sport of fbb. but an errant squirrel took a careless step, did the high-wire free fall and subsequently took out the power on my street. i put pen to paper and proceeded to record my thoughts the old fashioned way. interestingly enough, this morning while i still have the same bee in my bonnet, i no longer wish to express myself the same way. thus 3 and half pages of note pad scrawlings have been scrapped for whatever comes out of this.
there are a number of established fbb's and by that i mean, either with years of nationally level competition under their belt or even newly turned pro's with nary a trip to the pro-stage, who are disillusioned and losing interest in the sport.
basically, they have noticed as have i, that the sport is changing. not uncommon, sports do change and evolve. but it's more about what bb is morphing into that is of a concern. both sides of the sport seem to have lost the enthusiasm for the classic physique with the pleasing lines. bodybuilding was about human sculpture, it was about art. currently we have a lot of athletes, again male and female, who want to be pro's today!
how often do i hear on the boards, of some person who has yet to even do a show talking about having a pro-card in as little as 2 or 3 years. some of them haven't even been training for size for that long and they want to be pro's. so usually in order to play catch up, these athletes have to go a little wild on the drug side.
okay now this sounds like an anti-drug rant and it's not. i am well aware of the use in the sport and although it's not for me i harbour no ill will towards those that do. all i am trying to point out is that alot of bbers, who are already 'established' have years of natural lifting and competition behind them prior to turning on the 'gas'. and when they add it, as i understand it, it's not added sporatically. so you have to figure that a newbie with barely a year's training under his/her belt is going to have to dig pretty deep into the drug well to be competitive.
the end result are physiques that are either just freakish expanses of muscle or a physique without the classic, pleasing lines.
well it looks like there are more than a few fbb's who no longer like what the competition has to offer. and sadly for me, as a fan of classic bb, instead of staying in the game and giving the fans an option these women are giving up the sport. retiring from competition and climbing aboard the nearest stepmill to burn off the years of hard fought muscle.
the very bodies that we need to save fbb are the very ones looking to quit... and that my friends, is a very sad thing indeed.
there are a number of established fbb's and by that i mean, either with years of nationally level competition under their belt or even newly turned pro's with nary a trip to the pro-stage, who are disillusioned and losing interest in the sport.
basically, they have noticed as have i, that the sport is changing. not uncommon, sports do change and evolve. but it's more about what bb is morphing into that is of a concern. both sides of the sport seem to have lost the enthusiasm for the classic physique with the pleasing lines. bodybuilding was about human sculpture, it was about art. currently we have a lot of athletes, again male and female, who want to be pro's today!
how often do i hear on the boards, of some person who has yet to even do a show talking about having a pro-card in as little as 2 or 3 years. some of them haven't even been training for size for that long and they want to be pro's. so usually in order to play catch up, these athletes have to go a little wild on the drug side.
okay now this sounds like an anti-drug rant and it's not. i am well aware of the use in the sport and although it's not for me i harbour no ill will towards those that do. all i am trying to point out is that alot of bbers, who are already 'established' have years of natural lifting and competition behind them prior to turning on the 'gas'. and when they add it, as i understand it, it's not added sporatically. so you have to figure that a newbie with barely a year's training under his/her belt is going to have to dig pretty deep into the drug well to be competitive.
the end result are physiques that are either just freakish expanses of muscle or a physique without the classic, pleasing lines.
well it looks like there are more than a few fbb's who no longer like what the competition has to offer. and sadly for me, as a fan of classic bb, instead of staying in the game and giving the fans an option these women are giving up the sport. retiring from competition and climbing aboard the nearest stepmill to burn off the years of hard fought muscle.
the very bodies that we need to save fbb are the very ones looking to quit... and that my friends, is a very sad thing indeed.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
getting a few things off my chest
it's probably well past time for an update. my apologies.
the week immediatly following my show was the natural canadians or the world qualifier as its officially known. and just this past weekend we had the OPA provincials (the untested tier). in the past few weeks i've really had the opportunity to observe the behaviour of other competitors. this observation has helped me to further learn the type of athlete i wish to be and be known as.
first of all allow me to state the obvious... we all want to win. any athlete who tells you they don't want to win is either a dayumm liar, or not much of an athlete. however, there is a difference between wanting to win and some of the sh!t i've been seeing lately. in any sport there are things that improve your chances for success on the playing field, in bodybuilding some of those things are; diet (you have to STAY on one and stay true to your diet), cardio (see diet), training (see diet) and sleep.
i almost seems like some athletes feel they are owed wins, wether they have done all of the work or not. you are also not owed a win if you are bigger than your opponent, especially if you are bigger because your bodyfat percentage is higher. our sport is judged on symmetry, size and conditioning. sometimes people seem to forget about that final requirement.
you should be judged on how you show up THAT day, and as an athlete you should go into the show knowing that. you can't expect the judges to score you higher because you've been in better shape in the past and they 'know' you can do it again. show them you can do it again by showing up in shape!!!
don't make a habit of slipping off your diet, training or cardio schedule and then put yourself into the situation where you have to try dangerous techniques to 'catch up'. there is no glory in dying on a high school gym floor because you were trying to win a $10 trophy.
and finally, for most the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow is a pro-card. well the 'pro' in pro-card is an abbreviation of the word professional
suffice it to say i've seen a lot of athletes, those who already have pro-cards and those still in pursuit of one who have failed to exhibit professional behaviour.
you don't turn the bodybuilding stage into an episode of 'girls gone wild - spring break'. if you are beaten by another competitor, learn to suck it up and lose with grace... allow yourself to be disappointed, but take that disappointment and use it to fuel your next trip to the stage... next time come more prepared. i'm not saying this sport is not without politics and i'm not saying that it is alway fair... but what i am saying is we all need to take responsibility for the times when we step on stage and we were not prepared.
/rant
have a great day.
the week immediatly following my show was the natural canadians or the world qualifier as its officially known. and just this past weekend we had the OPA provincials (the untested tier). in the past few weeks i've really had the opportunity to observe the behaviour of other competitors. this observation has helped me to further learn the type of athlete i wish to be and be known as.
first of all allow me to state the obvious... we all want to win. any athlete who tells you they don't want to win is either a dayumm liar, or not much of an athlete. however, there is a difference between wanting to win and some of the sh!t i've been seeing lately. in any sport there are things that improve your chances for success on the playing field, in bodybuilding some of those things are; diet (you have to STAY on one and stay true to your diet), cardio (see diet), training (see diet) and sleep.
i almost seems like some athletes feel they are owed wins, wether they have done all of the work or not. you are also not owed a win if you are bigger than your opponent, especially if you are bigger because your bodyfat percentage is higher. our sport is judged on symmetry, size and conditioning. sometimes people seem to forget about that final requirement.
you should be judged on how you show up THAT day, and as an athlete you should go into the show knowing that. you can't expect the judges to score you higher because you've been in better shape in the past and they 'know' you can do it again. show them you can do it again by showing up in shape!!!
don't make a habit of slipping off your diet, training or cardio schedule and then put yourself into the situation where you have to try dangerous techniques to 'catch up'. there is no glory in dying on a high school gym floor because you were trying to win a $10 trophy.
and finally, for most the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow is a pro-card. well the 'pro' in pro-card is an abbreviation of the word professional
pro·fes·sion·al (pro-fěsh'i-nul)
- Of, relating to, engaged in, or suitable for a profession: lawyers, doctors, and other professional people.
- Conforming to the standards of a profession: professional behavior.
- Engaging in a given activity as a source of livelihood or as a career: a professional writer.
- Performed by persons receiving pay: professional football.
Having or showing great skill; expert: a professional repair job.
suffice it to say i've seen a lot of athletes, those who already have pro-cards and those still in pursuit of one who have failed to exhibit professional behaviour.
you don't turn the bodybuilding stage into an episode of 'girls gone wild - spring break'. if you are beaten by another competitor, learn to suck it up and lose with grace... allow yourself to be disappointed, but take that disappointment and use it to fuel your next trip to the stage... next time come more prepared. i'm not saying this sport is not without politics and i'm not saying that it is alway fair... but what i am saying is we all need to take responsibility for the times when we step on stage and we were not prepared.
/rant
have a great day.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
no, the the victor goes...
so there i am at work and my father calls. he wants to know if i am expecting a package. well i was... could they have shipped my overall trophy already?? then he said something about it came from speedracer. well that's not the OPA and it took me a second or two to realize what was going on.
my buddy speed racer sent me a congratulatory bouquet of 'flowers'. here is how they looked and of course since i am back eating clean... i had to put the 'roses' in the refrigerator for safe keeping. since i am allowed one meal per week that isn't clean i am guessing these 'roses' will last about 6 weeks.
i have said it before i will say it again... i have the BEST friends!!!
my buddy speed racer sent me a congratulatory bouquet of 'flowers'. here is how they looked and of course since i am back eating clean... i had to put the 'roses' in the refrigerator for safe keeping. since i am allowed one meal per week that isn't clean i am guessing these 'roses' will last about 6 weeks.
i have said it before i will say it again... i have the BEST friends!!!
Monday, June 11, 2007
and to the victor goes...
the 3 cheese bison burger, sweet potato fries and heidi's mile high chocolate cake!!!
this will be a short and sweet blog entry. you might be interested to know that i weighed in at 134.4lbs. there were 6 of us in the heavyweight class and i won. and i won the overall. that alone is a lot for me to wrap my head around... but there is more. i am now qualified, i guess beyond a shadow of a doubt to compete at the national level.
that's where i am i right now. trying to absorb the fact that after 2 years of competition and only 2 shows i now have the right to compete at the natural nationals. i don't know... somehow it almost doesn't seem real?? it feels somehow like it should have taken longer???
anyway the letter of resignation is complete and sitting on the desk in front of me.
shots taken before prejudging at the hotel
Friday, June 08, 2007
the end of the road...
i am sitting here in my room waiting to eat before i head out on the road. that's right today is the day i drive up to the contest. i weighed myself at 135 this a.m. i still have a day of water drop and other activity before weigh-in's tonight. either way i will definately be a heavyweight... which was the plan.
on sec... the microwave beckons.
so what can i say that hasn't already been said? i am coming to the end of 26 weeks of dieting... dieting without cheats or treats. i think throughout that 26 week run i had two 'sick' days where i was unable to complete my training. but otherwise i have done the dayum thing. i look, in my humble opinion and the opinion of others who were along for the ride last year, much improved. my coach went as far as to say that i look this year like a completely different person.
which brings me to my next point. i AM a completely different person. well in the sense that i have grown alot this prep and i have learned alot about myself. first of all i am stronger than i knew. the diligence to the diet, all that fawkin cardio, and this last week without benefit of sweetener. okay the sweetener thing is huge. i have a sweet tooth... nah fawk it all of em are sweet. i am so very proud of the fact that in order to get what i want i was able to forego sweetener in my coffee, tea and oatmeal. i went without sugarless gum and i did not drink any crystal light or diet sodas. i realize now... within reason there is nothing i can't do. which is giving me the courage to do something else.
i am going into work on monday after the show and i am giving my 2 weeks notice. my current job in advertising enables me to enjoy some economic freedoms but it does nothing for my soul. due to the nature of the 'business' as they like to call it, (fyi you can even hear the fawker pronounce it with the quotes around the word), i am unable to really train clients. training clients at the gym provides me with much needed balance. regardless of how much i might b*tch about unfocused clients... there is a part of me that very much enjoys helping people or fixing things. that part of me is never satisfied with just making money. i guess my displeasure at my situation is part and parcel of why i find myself so depressed at work and so disgusted with my co-workers. i realize now more than ever that i do not fit in there.
so the plan is to go back into freelance computer graphics. i have contacted my agency of preference already and put out a few feelers to some friends. im really going to try to stay closer to home as well. a 9-5 existance will work well with training clients before and after work and more importantly will keep my own training on schedule!!!
the risk is... it generally takes 8 weeks before the cheques start rolling in from the freelance agency. the smart thing to do would be to stay at my current job and bankroll some cash and then make my move (fyi, show prep financially wipes ya out), but staying would surely have me kill somebody... i kid... maybe.
besides if this show prep has taught me nothing it has taught me that i am a survivor. i can and i WILL rise to any challenge.
ok time to hit the road. sometime saturday evening this journey will all be over.
i can honestly say i look forward to my next challenge.
thanks to those of you... who've been following along. i appreciate the support, perhaps more than i could ever express.
cheers
on sec... the microwave beckons.
so what can i say that hasn't already been said? i am coming to the end of 26 weeks of dieting... dieting without cheats or treats. i think throughout that 26 week run i had two 'sick' days where i was unable to complete my training. but otherwise i have done the dayum thing. i look, in my humble opinion and the opinion of others who were along for the ride last year, much improved. my coach went as far as to say that i look this year like a completely different person.
which brings me to my next point. i AM a completely different person. well in the sense that i have grown alot this prep and i have learned alot about myself. first of all i am stronger than i knew. the diligence to the diet, all that fawkin cardio, and this last week without benefit of sweetener. okay the sweetener thing is huge. i have a sweet tooth... nah fawk it all of em are sweet. i am so very proud of the fact that in order to get what i want i was able to forego sweetener in my coffee, tea and oatmeal. i went without sugarless gum and i did not drink any crystal light or diet sodas. i realize now... within reason there is nothing i can't do. which is giving me the courage to do something else.
i am going into work on monday after the show and i am giving my 2 weeks notice. my current job in advertising enables me to enjoy some economic freedoms but it does nothing for my soul. due to the nature of the 'business' as they like to call it, (fyi you can even hear the fawker pronounce it with the quotes around the word), i am unable to really train clients. training clients at the gym provides me with much needed balance. regardless of how much i might b*tch about unfocused clients... there is a part of me that very much enjoys helping people or fixing things. that part of me is never satisfied with just making money. i guess my displeasure at my situation is part and parcel of why i find myself so depressed at work and so disgusted with my co-workers. i realize now more than ever that i do not fit in there.
so the plan is to go back into freelance computer graphics. i have contacted my agency of preference already and put out a few feelers to some friends. im really going to try to stay closer to home as well. a 9-5 existance will work well with training clients before and after work and more importantly will keep my own training on schedule!!!
the risk is... it generally takes 8 weeks before the cheques start rolling in from the freelance agency. the smart thing to do would be to stay at my current job and bankroll some cash and then make my move (fyi, show prep financially wipes ya out), but staying would surely have me kill somebody... i kid... maybe.
besides if this show prep has taught me nothing it has taught me that i am a survivor. i can and i WILL rise to any challenge.
ok time to hit the road. sometime saturday evening this journey will all be over.
i can honestly say i look forward to my next challenge.
thanks to those of you... who've been following along. i appreciate the support, perhaps more than i could ever express.
cheers
Thursday, May 31, 2007
i am not dead!!!
forgive me friends i realize now it has been quite some time since i last posted any updates, thoughts or what have you. if it wasn't for dannie sending me some offline 'are you alive messages' there would likely still not be any new posting.
first of all i have a few friends who are causing me some worry lately. i had a friend 'crash' at a bodybuilding show last weekend and i took it upon myself to race to the drugstore for the help she needed. i've had a friend recently text me that he and his lady were breaking up. a bad situation, don't get me wrong by my friends level of depression and how he chooses to express it have always been of concern to me. thus the day without 'contact' was unnerving for me to say the least. and finally my friend with the serious health issue is having more than her share of challenges bouncing back this time. there are frequent periods of days on end without updates. i try not to worry... i don't always succeed.
we are however in the last 9 days of stage prep. 'we' being myself, my coach and george my diet guy are all quite pleased with where i am sitting at this point of the prep. i am about a 1lb heavier than at this point last prep, yet a 1% point leaner in bf. small changes on paper but the difference in physique is remarkable. i have managed to lose in 25 weeks of crystal clean eating 35lbs. i hope to still lose a smidge more before we cut my water next week.
i need to get my azz to the gym for a.m cardio. i currently have 6 more days of a.m/p.m cardio... and frankly i can't wait for that to be over.
i leave you with a pic from may 21... enjoy.
first of all i have a few friends who are causing me some worry lately. i had a friend 'crash' at a bodybuilding show last weekend and i took it upon myself to race to the drugstore for the help she needed. i've had a friend recently text me that he and his lady were breaking up. a bad situation, don't get me wrong by my friends level of depression and how he chooses to express it have always been of concern to me. thus the day without 'contact' was unnerving for me to say the least. and finally my friend with the serious health issue is having more than her share of challenges bouncing back this time. there are frequent periods of days on end without updates. i try not to worry... i don't always succeed.
we are however in the last 9 days of stage prep. 'we' being myself, my coach and george my diet guy are all quite pleased with where i am sitting at this point of the prep. i am about a 1lb heavier than at this point last prep, yet a 1% point leaner in bf. small changes on paper but the difference in physique is remarkable. i have managed to lose in 25 weeks of crystal clean eating 35lbs. i hope to still lose a smidge more before we cut my water next week.
i need to get my azz to the gym for a.m cardio. i currently have 6 more days of a.m/p.m cardio... and frankly i can't wait for that to be over.
i leave you with a pic from may 21... enjoy.
Friday, April 20, 2007
the new 'fad' diet
there is a new 'fad' diet out there. the new atkins, the new south beach... its called the 'show prep' diet.
as you probably know i am an active member on a few bodybuilding boards. and by my nature i am a supportive individual who wants to see everyone around her live up to his/her potential and rise to any and all occasions. sounds pretty good right? well maybe not.
you see the bodybuilding forum is home to a few different types of personalities. simply; the fan, the weekend warrior and the competitive athlete. on one of my boards, the environment is very supportive and the competitive athletes are championed by, for the most part, the rest of the board. from time to time a weekend warrior will catch the 'fever' and throw his or her hat into the competitive ring.
well the latest trend has me concerned. concerned because i realize now that my natural inclination is doing people more of a disservice than a service. in the last little while we have had a lot more board members who are in excess of 40lbs overweight throwing their hat into the competitive ring. now allow me to fully qualify the severity of that decision. i am not talking, in most cases, about 40lbs to stage weight... but rather 40lbs above where they SHOULD be starting their contest diet.
these people are trying to lose 60-80 lbs in 20+ weeks. standard show prep is not a healthy way to lose a few pounds. we are talking about, some pretty extreme measures in order to get down to the level of conditioning that competition is about. so we have these people crash dieting and its got to be even more unhealthy for them than it is for the rest of us.
okay im not liking where this sounds like its going. now it sounds like maybe i think i am all of that. don't get me wrong i am not all of that... i know my faults, i am aware of my shortcomings. but im also aware that i am indirectly setting these people up for failure. they, for the most part, emulate the focus and determination of the competitive athlete. which is great... except when it gets them to step on stage when they clearly aren't in contest shape. so far the audiences have been well behaved and forgiving... but we have all been to shows where there are people who heckle... and believe me it isnt pretty.
its not only unfair to the out of shape competitor, who for the most part should be applauded for getting into the best shape of their life. but it is also unfair for the competition who have struggled to come in shredded to the bone. all that hardwork and they have to get compared to someone, who for all intensive purpose, looks as though they did not diet.
now it would appear that some of these people on the board, or this board in particular, respect my opinion. and thus i realize now, i have to be a bit more responsible in my actions. i have to learn how to be supportive of their desires to lose weight... but also how to tactfully steer them away from the stage, when they aren't ready.
of course the other reality is... at this point in my prep. i really should be responsible for no one's actions but my own.
as you probably know i am an active member on a few bodybuilding boards. and by my nature i am a supportive individual who wants to see everyone around her live up to his/her potential and rise to any and all occasions. sounds pretty good right? well maybe not.
you see the bodybuilding forum is home to a few different types of personalities. simply; the fan, the weekend warrior and the competitive athlete. on one of my boards, the environment is very supportive and the competitive athletes are championed by, for the most part, the rest of the board. from time to time a weekend warrior will catch the 'fever' and throw his or her hat into the competitive ring.
well the latest trend has me concerned. concerned because i realize now that my natural inclination is doing people more of a disservice than a service. in the last little while we have had a lot more board members who are in excess of 40lbs overweight throwing their hat into the competitive ring. now allow me to fully qualify the severity of that decision. i am not talking, in most cases, about 40lbs to stage weight... but rather 40lbs above where they SHOULD be starting their contest diet.
these people are trying to lose 60-80 lbs in 20+ weeks. standard show prep is not a healthy way to lose a few pounds. we are talking about, some pretty extreme measures in order to get down to the level of conditioning that competition is about. so we have these people crash dieting and its got to be even more unhealthy for them than it is for the rest of us.
okay im not liking where this sounds like its going. now it sounds like maybe i think i am all of that. don't get me wrong i am not all of that... i know my faults, i am aware of my shortcomings. but im also aware that i am indirectly setting these people up for failure. they, for the most part, emulate the focus and determination of the competitive athlete. which is great... except when it gets them to step on stage when they clearly aren't in contest shape. so far the audiences have been well behaved and forgiving... but we have all been to shows where there are people who heckle... and believe me it isnt pretty.
its not only unfair to the out of shape competitor, who for the most part should be applauded for getting into the best shape of their life. but it is also unfair for the competition who have struggled to come in shredded to the bone. all that hardwork and they have to get compared to someone, who for all intensive purpose, looks as though they did not diet.
now it would appear that some of these people on the board, or this board in particular, respect my opinion. and thus i realize now, i have to be a bit more responsible in my actions. i have to learn how to be supportive of their desires to lose weight... but also how to tactfully steer them away from the stage, when they aren't ready.
of course the other reality is... at this point in my prep. i really should be responsible for no one's actions but my own.
Monday, April 16, 2007
just under 8
yup that's right just under 8 weeks out. sitting at around 16% with best guess a good 12lbs still to go.
the routine production has begun in earnest and already, two weeks in, the music and choreography has changed entirely. i know my coach... he wants this years routine to blow the doors off of what we did last year. and if you know me... you know thats exactly what i want too.
the prep has started to get challenging. my day routinely begins around 5:30 am with a trip to the gym, most days for a.m cardio. unfortunately my day is also routinely ending around 11 pm. i am definately not getting the rest i need. work has been insanely busy and i frequently find myself still at work at 7 pm. i have been cancelling more evening appointments with my clients than i make. i am still getting to the gym to do my workouts but that is also contributing to the late nights.
in order to take my body where it needs to go we are currently running 3 no carb days per week. since i'm frequently asked if that is really no carb or if i get vegetables allow me to address that now. first yes, i do get vegetables however there is a ceiling on the carb intake from those vegetable sources. secondly i would like to know who exactly is out there running a pure protein, no carb diet and what fawkin roto-rooter type laxative program are they running to keep the plumbing moving smoothly????
interestingly enough, my training has not suffered as much as i feared it might with all the no carb days. perhaps its more about my tenacious nature than anything else. i've been having more workouts that end with me feeling completely spent and in desperate need of a power nap in the ladies locker room. but even from last time things are looking better. the hams are coming in nicely, i finally have both sides of the horseshoe on my triceps... and i'm even happy with the definition showing in what little calves i have.
work is a bitter pill and that is a situation that HAS to be addressed as soon as this show is over.
i have so much more i want to share with you. i hope i can find some more time this week to post up. time... its one thing i just can't seem to find enough of. hey isn't that a song lyric??
have the best day you can!!
the routine production has begun in earnest and already, two weeks in, the music and choreography has changed entirely. i know my coach... he wants this years routine to blow the doors off of what we did last year. and if you know me... you know thats exactly what i want too.
the prep has started to get challenging. my day routinely begins around 5:30 am with a trip to the gym, most days for a.m cardio. unfortunately my day is also routinely ending around 11 pm. i am definately not getting the rest i need. work has been insanely busy and i frequently find myself still at work at 7 pm. i have been cancelling more evening appointments with my clients than i make. i am still getting to the gym to do my workouts but that is also contributing to the late nights.
in order to take my body where it needs to go we are currently running 3 no carb days per week. since i'm frequently asked if that is really no carb or if i get vegetables allow me to address that now. first yes, i do get vegetables however there is a ceiling on the carb intake from those vegetable sources. secondly i would like to know who exactly is out there running a pure protein, no carb diet and what fawkin roto-rooter type laxative program are they running to keep the plumbing moving smoothly????
interestingly enough, my training has not suffered as much as i feared it might with all the no carb days. perhaps its more about my tenacious nature than anything else. i've been having more workouts that end with me feeling completely spent and in desperate need of a power nap in the ladies locker room. but even from last time things are looking better. the hams are coming in nicely, i finally have both sides of the horseshoe on my triceps... and i'm even happy with the definition showing in what little calves i have.
work is a bitter pill and that is a situation that HAS to be addressed as soon as this show is over.
i have so much more i want to share with you. i hope i can find some more time this week to post up. time... its one thing i just can't seem to find enough of. hey isn't that a song lyric??
have the best day you can!!
Monday, April 02, 2007
in the land of a.m cardi-uggggh
a scant 10 weeks out. starting to feel the effects of 16 weeks of dieting. tired, cranky, weak and easily irritated. a virtual pleasure to be around.
i have an appointment on wednesday with my diet guy to make the next series of changes to take us in the final approach. currently sitting at 151lbs and 3 weeks ago i was 19% at 155. best guess i am currently in the neighbourhood of 17%. the mirror is starting to be my friend.
a couple of pics for your viewing pleasure. the first march 11 at 155lbs and the second march 25 at 152lbs.
sorry to have been such a stranger.
i have an appointment on wednesday with my diet guy to make the next series of changes to take us in the final approach. currently sitting at 151lbs and 3 weeks ago i was 19% at 155. best guess i am currently in the neighbourhood of 17%. the mirror is starting to be my friend.
a couple of pics for your viewing pleasure. the first march 11 at 155lbs and the second march 25 at 152lbs.
sorry to have been such a stranger.
Friday, March 16, 2007
after the arnie... the ohio wrap up
it was the best of times... it was the worst of times.
as you know i am dieting. thus i had to put a lot more thought into this trip than the miami one. for example i had to pack food, enough food that would take me from my house to the hotel room in columbus. i calculated that i would require 3 meals (9:30, 12:00, & 2:30), since my flight to columbus would arrive at 1:45 and army's would arrive at 3pm i should be able to get my 5:00 meal in perhaps a tad late but not by much. or at least that was my plan.
the flight out of toronto to pittsburgh was uneventful and on time. i was sitting at the departure gate in pittsburgh waiting on my connection to columbus when they announced my flights cancellation. i was put on the next available flight to columbus departing at 5:30 pm!!! i was also given a $5 voucher for a meal.
well the rental car was reserved under my credit card as was the hotel room. i also was the only one of us travelling with the directions to our hotel. i called army and told her what had happened. i gave her the rental car confirmation number and luckily she was able to pick up the car. she spent the afternoon with her coach... a man i like to call happy jack. little did i know this was going to be a constant throughout the weekend.
well the first challenge proved to be figuring out what to eat at the airport at 5:00 pm that would keep me on track and also not screw with the water drop that i had done to prepare for my photoshoot. the shoot!! dayumm that was supposed to be either thursday night when i got in or early friday a.m.
when i got into columbus it was 7 pm the flight out of pittsburgh was still delayed as they had to change the tire on the plane. part of me would have liked to have seen how they jack up a plane... and exactly where do you keep the spare? we got to the hotel to find out that they released all the double occupancy rooms. since we had a valid confirmation they gave us two single rooms for the price of a shared double. from there we went to the grocery store and bought our staples for the weekend. then since we still had happy jack with us, we had to take him back to his hotel room and then return to our own. it was 10 pm when we got back to the rooms and army headed straight to her room and to her bed. again what would prove to be a constant throughout the weekend.
i was up until sometime after midnight cooking enough food and portioning out what i needed to take me through the weekend. i also connected with the photographer. he offered me a 9:30 am shoot but army needed to take happy jack to the expo for 9 am. i have heard over the years that it's imperative that an athlete not go to a shoot alone. since army was going to be squiring happy jack around we needed a plan c. for the photoshoot.
plan c was iffy at best. the photographer is a diabetic and has been having a difficult time of it. he was not sure what time he could get to the expo and he was not sure how long he would feel well enough to stay there. when he was on his way over to the expo he was to call me and we would meet up and do the shoot somewhere on the expo grounds. now originally this shoot was supposed to take place somewhere a bit more scenic than between the booths at the expo and i had purchased an outfit with which to wear during the shoot. nothing crazy... he wanted me to wear something like 'i would wear in the gym'. knowing that he couldn't possibly mean what i wear to the gym i went out and got something lycra based. long story short... he never made it to the expo.
army and i left the expo early, we went to world's gym to train. we needed to get our 'swole on' before going to the women's final. we were able to buy a weekend pass and we took advantage of that... we then proceeded to train. army sure was different this time. in miami she kept wanting to do more and more exercises, however in ohio she couldn't seem to get out of the gym fast enough. i was barely able to fit in all that i needed to do (chest, abs and cardio).
traffic was a bit chaotic and we were a little late getting to the venue. army stopped to talk to IFBB pro vicki nixon, who frequents a couple of the boards we are on. the show started and we missed the first two fitness routines... one of which was jen henderschott. you NEVER want to miss jen henderschott perform and i definately should not have missed this one. turns out she was retiring from competition and this was her final performance.
so after the show we head back to the hotel. i'm amped and ready to go. army however is not... so she burrows into her room and calls it a night. hmmfffk
saturday morning i took the car and went to the gym by myself. i had tickets to the men's final but army wasn't interested in the men. she had planned to train at the gym saturday evening with happy jack. i had one of the best workouts all weekend at the gym. maybe it was because i was by myself and i could train without the impatient, unfocused sidekick. or maybe it was because i met a couple of the fbb's who were training there. i met a really nice woman from wisconsin. there was this huge fbb and she looked really familiar to me. as we passed a couple times she smiled and said hi. eventually my curiousity got the better of me, i waited till she was between exercises and i approached her. turns out she was the same fbb who met and befriended my ex-training partner when she was at world's last year. christina and i had a nice chat and i've talked to her, via the internet, quite a few times since then.
met army back at the hotel, i quickly got cleaned up and then we headed over to the expo. it was a little disappointing army didn't want to get too far away from happy jack and the truth is... he just wasn't that big of a draw to me. i would rather have spent more time exploring the booths and seeing what could be seen. sure it was crowded as fawk but that is kind of part of the fun of the arnold. i got a hold of the photographer and army and i went over to where he was set up in a nearby atrium. it was a pretty quick shoot and i have yet to see any of the pics from it. afterwards army got something to eat and then we headed back to the expo. as we got closer to the booth we ran into happy jack who was going for a walk. army dumped me like a hot potato and toddled after him. i went back to the booth, grabbed my belongings and went outside to flag a cab back to the hotel.
$25 bucks later i was back at my hotel. i had asked the cabbie as i didn't know the city like he did, when would be a good time to call a cab to get me to the finals on time. he told me that 6:30 would be plenty of time. i got cleaned up... fawk that i was dressed to the nines. i started calling the cab company at 6:25 and i could not get an answer. i went out to the front desk to see if i could get some other numbers to try. i got through at 6:35 and the dispatcher told me that he could have a cab at my hotel by 6:55... five minutes before the start of the show!! he then berated me for not calling from 6 pm. well i figured i'd be in my seat sometime between 7:15-7:30... it would be bad but not horrific. however i was still waiting in the lobby at 7:10! the dispatcher claimed that his cab had come, had waited outside and eventually 3 people came out and took off. as i was sitting in the lobby in a chair facing the front door... with a clear view of the driveway i knew this to be bullsh!t. he told me he could have another cab there by 7:30. that would have me in my seat by 8:00 and i would have missed all of the final routines... the best part! i cancelled the cab and went back to my room clutching my $75 ticket.
i started calling army to let her know i didnt get to the show and i was waiting at the hotel room. the plan was to go to the after party after i got back from the night show. there was no answer on her phone. maybe she was still training with happy jack? i called every 15 mins or so until 10 pm when she finally answered. she was outside the hotel. apparently she had left her cell in the rental car and after training with happy jack they went out for dinner. army announced that both she and happy jack were tired and not going to the after party. fawk!! further she went on to say that she was not interested in going to the gym sunday a.m before flying out. fawk x 2!!!
i went back to my room, changed and started cooking the food i needed to eat sunday. the longer i spent in my room the more annoyed i got and the more i fumed. i decided two things. 1. i was definately going to the gym to train... i was NOT wasting any more money. 2. i was NEVER going to another competition with army. i like her, don't get me wrong. i know most of what happened was not her fault but i didn't want to spend all that money to go to ohio to spend it home alone. i can do that cheap here!!!
sunday morning i told her i was going to the gym. she said she would go too as natty from the boards was coming down and wanted to train with us. we got to the gym and there was a photoshoot going on with IFBB pro's dexter jackson and gustavo badell. you could still train they just had the middle area of the gym somewhat cordoned off. we decided to train shoulders as thats what i needed to do. army wanted to make a big production out of planning what we were going to do. i told her that first i needed to warm up and i proceeded to do so. next thing i know the two of them are on the other side of the gym in a squat rack. fine, i had work to do and i was still in a funky mood. it wasn't 30 mins later when the two of them were back at my side. they were done!!! i still had arms to train. and then happy jack started callin... he was in a mood and wanted army to pick him up and take him to the airport. so without benefit of a shower or anything we were off to pick up happy jack.
the flight back to toronto went smoothly since i didnt leave ohio until almost 3pm i was afforded lots of time to think about the weekend. the hotel was $50/night, it had a kitchenette, a 24 hour grocery within walking distance and was 15 mins via highway from the venue. the rental car was $60 for the weekend. and finally ive been to the arnold 3 years running. i know a lot of people off of the boards and seem to make friends when i am there. do i actually need to go with anyone??? i think not!!!
as you know i am dieting. thus i had to put a lot more thought into this trip than the miami one. for example i had to pack food, enough food that would take me from my house to the hotel room in columbus. i calculated that i would require 3 meals (9:30, 12:00, & 2:30), since my flight to columbus would arrive at 1:45 and army's would arrive at 3pm i should be able to get my 5:00 meal in perhaps a tad late but not by much. or at least that was my plan.
the flight out of toronto to pittsburgh was uneventful and on time. i was sitting at the departure gate in pittsburgh waiting on my connection to columbus when they announced my flights cancellation. i was put on the next available flight to columbus departing at 5:30 pm!!! i was also given a $5 voucher for a meal.
well the rental car was reserved under my credit card as was the hotel room. i also was the only one of us travelling with the directions to our hotel. i called army and told her what had happened. i gave her the rental car confirmation number and luckily she was able to pick up the car. she spent the afternoon with her coach... a man i like to call happy jack. little did i know this was going to be a constant throughout the weekend.
well the first challenge proved to be figuring out what to eat at the airport at 5:00 pm that would keep me on track and also not screw with the water drop that i had done to prepare for my photoshoot. the shoot!! dayumm that was supposed to be either thursday night when i got in or early friday a.m.
when i got into columbus it was 7 pm the flight out of pittsburgh was still delayed as they had to change the tire on the plane. part of me would have liked to have seen how they jack up a plane... and exactly where do you keep the spare? we got to the hotel to find out that they released all the double occupancy rooms. since we had a valid confirmation they gave us two single rooms for the price of a shared double. from there we went to the grocery store and bought our staples for the weekend. then since we still had happy jack with us, we had to take him back to his hotel room and then return to our own. it was 10 pm when we got back to the rooms and army headed straight to her room and to her bed. again what would prove to be a constant throughout the weekend.
i was up until sometime after midnight cooking enough food and portioning out what i needed to take me through the weekend. i also connected with the photographer. he offered me a 9:30 am shoot but army needed to take happy jack to the expo for 9 am. i have heard over the years that it's imperative that an athlete not go to a shoot alone. since army was going to be squiring happy jack around we needed a plan c. for the photoshoot.
plan c was iffy at best. the photographer is a diabetic and has been having a difficult time of it. he was not sure what time he could get to the expo and he was not sure how long he would feel well enough to stay there. when he was on his way over to the expo he was to call me and we would meet up and do the shoot somewhere on the expo grounds. now originally this shoot was supposed to take place somewhere a bit more scenic than between the booths at the expo and i had purchased an outfit with which to wear during the shoot. nothing crazy... he wanted me to wear something like 'i would wear in the gym'. knowing that he couldn't possibly mean what i wear to the gym i went out and got something lycra based. long story short... he never made it to the expo.
army and i left the expo early, we went to world's gym to train. we needed to get our 'swole on' before going to the women's final. we were able to buy a weekend pass and we took advantage of that... we then proceeded to train. army sure was different this time. in miami she kept wanting to do more and more exercises, however in ohio she couldn't seem to get out of the gym fast enough. i was barely able to fit in all that i needed to do (chest, abs and cardio).
traffic was a bit chaotic and we were a little late getting to the venue. army stopped to talk to IFBB pro vicki nixon, who frequents a couple of the boards we are on. the show started and we missed the first two fitness routines... one of which was jen henderschott. you NEVER want to miss jen henderschott perform and i definately should not have missed this one. turns out she was retiring from competition and this was her final performance.
so after the show we head back to the hotel. i'm amped and ready to go. army however is not... so she burrows into her room and calls it a night. hmmfffk
saturday morning i took the car and went to the gym by myself. i had tickets to the men's final but army wasn't interested in the men. she had planned to train at the gym saturday evening with happy jack. i had one of the best workouts all weekend at the gym. maybe it was because i was by myself and i could train without the impatient, unfocused sidekick. or maybe it was because i met a couple of the fbb's who were training there. i met a really nice woman from wisconsin. there was this huge fbb and she looked really familiar to me. as we passed a couple times she smiled and said hi. eventually my curiousity got the better of me, i waited till she was between exercises and i approached her. turns out she was the same fbb who met and befriended my ex-training partner when she was at world's last year. christina and i had a nice chat and i've talked to her, via the internet, quite a few times since then.
met army back at the hotel, i quickly got cleaned up and then we headed over to the expo. it was a little disappointing army didn't want to get too far away from happy jack and the truth is... he just wasn't that big of a draw to me. i would rather have spent more time exploring the booths and seeing what could be seen. sure it was crowded as fawk but that is kind of part of the fun of the arnold. i got a hold of the photographer and army and i went over to where he was set up in a nearby atrium. it was a pretty quick shoot and i have yet to see any of the pics from it. afterwards army got something to eat and then we headed back to the expo. as we got closer to the booth we ran into happy jack who was going for a walk. army dumped me like a hot potato and toddled after him. i went back to the booth, grabbed my belongings and went outside to flag a cab back to the hotel.
$25 bucks later i was back at my hotel. i had asked the cabbie as i didn't know the city like he did, when would be a good time to call a cab to get me to the finals on time. he told me that 6:30 would be plenty of time. i got cleaned up... fawk that i was dressed to the nines. i started calling the cab company at 6:25 and i could not get an answer. i went out to the front desk to see if i could get some other numbers to try. i got through at 6:35 and the dispatcher told me that he could have a cab at my hotel by 6:55... five minutes before the start of the show!! he then berated me for not calling from 6 pm. well i figured i'd be in my seat sometime between 7:15-7:30... it would be bad but not horrific. however i was still waiting in the lobby at 7:10! the dispatcher claimed that his cab had come, had waited outside and eventually 3 people came out and took off. as i was sitting in the lobby in a chair facing the front door... with a clear view of the driveway i knew this to be bullsh!t. he told me he could have another cab there by 7:30. that would have me in my seat by 8:00 and i would have missed all of the final routines... the best part! i cancelled the cab and went back to my room clutching my $75 ticket.
i started calling army to let her know i didnt get to the show and i was waiting at the hotel room. the plan was to go to the after party after i got back from the night show. there was no answer on her phone. maybe she was still training with happy jack? i called every 15 mins or so until 10 pm when she finally answered. she was outside the hotel. apparently she had left her cell in the rental car and after training with happy jack they went out for dinner. army announced that both she and happy jack were tired and not going to the after party. fawk!! further she went on to say that she was not interested in going to the gym sunday a.m before flying out. fawk x 2!!!
i went back to my room, changed and started cooking the food i needed to eat sunday. the longer i spent in my room the more annoyed i got and the more i fumed. i decided two things. 1. i was definately going to the gym to train... i was NOT wasting any more money. 2. i was NEVER going to another competition with army. i like her, don't get me wrong. i know most of what happened was not her fault but i didn't want to spend all that money to go to ohio to spend it home alone. i can do that cheap here!!!
sunday morning i told her i was going to the gym. she said she would go too as natty from the boards was coming down and wanted to train with us. we got to the gym and there was a photoshoot going on with IFBB pro's dexter jackson and gustavo badell. you could still train they just had the middle area of the gym somewhat cordoned off. we decided to train shoulders as thats what i needed to do. army wanted to make a big production out of planning what we were going to do. i told her that first i needed to warm up and i proceeded to do so. next thing i know the two of them are on the other side of the gym in a squat rack. fine, i had work to do and i was still in a funky mood. it wasn't 30 mins later when the two of them were back at my side. they were done!!! i still had arms to train. and then happy jack started callin... he was in a mood and wanted army to pick him up and take him to the airport. so without benefit of a shower or anything we were off to pick up happy jack.
the flight back to toronto went smoothly since i didnt leave ohio until almost 3pm i was afforded lots of time to think about the weekend. the hotel was $50/night, it had a kitchenette, a 24 hour grocery within walking distance and was 15 mins via highway from the venue. the rental car was $60 for the weekend. and finally ive been to the arnold 3 years running. i know a lot of people off of the boards and seem to make friends when i am there. do i actually need to go with anyone??? i think not!!!
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
"isn't it ironic... don'tcha think?'
this past weekend was my annual trip to ohio for the arnold classic. and while i had high hopes for it to be the adventure of all adventures i was sorely disappointed. unlike previous trips there were no 'fights, arguments, mis-understandings and/or hurt feelings'. but unfortunatley there wasn't the high level of fun and frivolity that i was counting on either. i was a bit disappointed about that but what i heard this morning help put sh!t all in perspective for me.
i heard that dayumm sentence again. i didn't want to hear it the first time and i definately didn't want to hear it the second time. after so many years of a clean bill of health i guess i thought my friend was out of the woods. today i heard... not so much.
i find it oddly ironic that i spent this past weekend with people who have happily ingested and inserted the very chemical that my friend has to take. however my friend is not happy about it... in fact my friend abhors this drug but knows that it's necessary to help in this fight. those same people load there bodies as well with anti estrogen's to help fight the side effects of the drug. as well, in the case of most if not all of the females they take it to supress their bodies natural secondary female characteristics. in the quest for bigger growth and leaner bodies. my friend is taking the anti estrogens as well... but actually for the reason that the drug was intended... to help the body in this fight.
now those drugs don't easily go into the body. in fact our bodies are machines that seem to perform best... in most cases when left to it's own devices. we have bodybuilders both professional and amateur getting sick and dropping dead from years of abuse. in fact i know of a bodybuilder who hasn't been in the game that long... but due to health issue present before the drug use and subsequent abuse could verily well drop dead long before reaching their goal.
friends trying to stay healthy, friends who don't care if they die. it's truly ironic. i understand the concept of doing whatever it takes to live your dreams. but if your life is not precious to you, what of the people you leave behind? the other part thats kind of hard to grasp... is what about people like my friend who KNOW how precious life really is?
i still love bodybuilding. i still understand why the drugs are in the sport. i still admire many of the bodies that are not natural. i am glad that we have the medical knowledge to use these drugs to help people, like my friend, get healthy again. i am relieved that the condition was caught early. i am continually amazed by the fortitude and strength that my friend has. you can't help but admire someone who never takes that 'why me' approach but rather just says 'ok, how do we fix this'.
without a doubt... the biggest, strongest person i know... is not a bodybuilder!!
i heard that dayumm sentence again. i didn't want to hear it the first time and i definately didn't want to hear it the second time. after so many years of a clean bill of health i guess i thought my friend was out of the woods. today i heard... not so much.
i find it oddly ironic that i spent this past weekend with people who have happily ingested and inserted the very chemical that my friend has to take. however my friend is not happy about it... in fact my friend abhors this drug but knows that it's necessary to help in this fight. those same people load there bodies as well with anti estrogen's to help fight the side effects of the drug. as well, in the case of most if not all of the females they take it to supress their bodies natural secondary female characteristics. in the quest for bigger growth and leaner bodies. my friend is taking the anti estrogens as well... but actually for the reason that the drug was intended... to help the body in this fight.
now those drugs don't easily go into the body. in fact our bodies are machines that seem to perform best... in most cases when left to it's own devices. we have bodybuilders both professional and amateur getting sick and dropping dead from years of abuse. in fact i know of a bodybuilder who hasn't been in the game that long... but due to health issue present before the drug use and subsequent abuse could verily well drop dead long before reaching their goal.
friends trying to stay healthy, friends who don't care if they die. it's truly ironic. i understand the concept of doing whatever it takes to live your dreams. but if your life is not precious to you, what of the people you leave behind? the other part thats kind of hard to grasp... is what about people like my friend who KNOW how precious life really is?
i still love bodybuilding. i still understand why the drugs are in the sport. i still admire many of the bodies that are not natural. i am glad that we have the medical knowledge to use these drugs to help people, like my friend, get healthy again. i am relieved that the condition was caught early. i am continually amazed by the fortitude and strength that my friend has. you can't help but admire someone who never takes that 'why me' approach but rather just says 'ok, how do we fix this'.
without a doubt... the biggest, strongest person i know... is not a bodybuilder!!
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
ohio bound!!!!!
tomorrow is the day!! i leave to go to columbus for the arnold classic. the ASC is one of the premiere bb events on the schedule. its a fitness weekend that i really dont have the words to describe. i mean it started with the bb show but its way more than that now. there are martial arts, mma competitions and demonstrations. gymnastics, cheerleading, figure skating, arm wrestling, olympic lifting, power lifting... the list goes on and on.
in classic miche style there is still lots to do and of course i am running short on time. but i guess i can always sleep on the plane. LOL
i ran into army last night on line. im not sure which of the two of us is more excited. but its really going to be a good trip this year... i can just feel it. the advantage this time, over the trip to miami, is that we are no longer strangers so i think thats going to make this adventure even better. as well from the posts that she has been writing on the boards, she expects that we will be hanging together for the balance of the weekend. a stark contrast to last year.
so how am i looking? well i'm pretty pleased with how things stand. i'm fairly confident i could take pics in a cropped top and not look like the michelin man. granted i dont have hard granite abs but it's not bad for an offseason look. my best ab look i think ever. and to think i still have a good 20+ lbs to lose.
i took progress pics on the weekend and they are by far my best pics since i started this diet. finally i can truly see that i am on track. in fact i even crawled back into the posing suit. if i get a chance (sorry had to stop to laugh hysterically for a minute), i'll post up the new pics.
in classic miche style there is still lots to do and of course i am running short on time. but i guess i can always sleep on the plane. LOL
i ran into army last night on line. im not sure which of the two of us is more excited. but its really going to be a good trip this year... i can just feel it. the advantage this time, over the trip to miami, is that we are no longer strangers so i think thats going to make this adventure even better. as well from the posts that she has been writing on the boards, she expects that we will be hanging together for the balance of the weekend. a stark contrast to last year.
so how am i looking? well i'm pretty pleased with how things stand. i'm fairly confident i could take pics in a cropped top and not look like the michelin man. granted i dont have hard granite abs but it's not bad for an offseason look. my best ab look i think ever. and to think i still have a good 20+ lbs to lose.
i took progress pics on the weekend and they are by far my best pics since i started this diet. finally i can truly see that i am on track. in fact i even crawled back into the posing suit. if i get a chance (sorry had to stop to laugh hysterically for a minute), i'll post up the new pics.
Thursday, February 22, 2007
the continuation...
i had a lot on my mind, but not a lot of time. so this is the continuation of my last entry:
we are a little over a week away from the arnold. my other friend army, who coincidentaly is in the army, and on her way back from a month long posting in japan. we are both very excited about hanging out again in ohio. army and tg are dieting for the same show again this year and they both would like me to be there. but for many reasons that's not in the cards. i've been racking my brain for a present for army. just want her to have something from me that says even though i can't be there i'm behind you... get 'er done. thats the message i get from the t-shirt tg sent me and the message i hope she got from the slippers i sent her.
well army is not the 'fun slippers' type. but she does love to train in a ball cap. i've been seeing that roots 'canada' ball cap and i've decided to pick one up and give it to her in ohio. if she trains in it, it will be like i'm there reminding her that any unscheduled stops at the cheesecake counter will get her a miche-sized azz kickin!! army's more inclined to respond favourably to vinegar that she would with honey. just a part of her charm i guess. LOL.
i've got a shoot scheduled for ohio. nothing crazy big but i still want to look my best. i am desperately trying to shed as much bf as i can before i get down there.
i'll be seeing george tomorrow to see what changes we will make in the diet. the good news is i finally have a date. june 9th has officially been announced as the show date. another promoter had to pick up the ball. they are basically adding the natural event to the card of the untested show they already had scheduled.
the show is going to be in sudbury, which is a 4-5 hour drive. i was concerned that my coach b, might not be able to make it. as a back up i asked speedy bike racer if she could be there. most of the stuff i could probably do on my own, but there is no way i can put the contest colour and pam on myself. it's a great relief to know that she said yes. having her colour me will be weird but will it be any more wierd than last year with b and his lady friend?
cannon was recently back in town. yes, i know people with real names. i like to use nicknames... just because i chose to air my life and thoughts in this forum does not necessarily mean that everyone i know wants to as well.
once upon a time i played football. i don't remember if i ever mentioned that before. when i started playing cannon was a team mate. she eventually moved to the u.s and i don't see her too often. i'm glad that we were able to get caught up over a cup of coffee. i don't fell like i have alot of friends but the one's i have, that have stood the test of time... are special.
speaking of special friends. s-nj dropped me a quick email, monday morning, to tell me that she had injured herself. doing something that she loves, but it's fairly serious and it's definately going to slow her down a bit. she had recently been hitting the gym regularily and was starting to see the kind of changes that truly improve the quality of one's life. not the sh!t i do... but the important stuff. i'm sorry she had a setback. nobody i know bounces back quite like s-nj... but i have to admit this injury has me concerned.
i'm quickly running short of patience these days. it's part of the reason why i finally quit the hip hop class. i just can't find the energy to keep doing something that i suck at, that i don't seem to improve at, or that i still don't even really understand why i was doing it. during last sunday's class i fell behind again and i found i was more irritated than usual, and far more than the situation warranted. rather that put myself in a postion where i might frighten the little dancing girls with a full on miche-tantrum... i'm going to tap out. maybe i will try again... after the show is done.
funny... i sent the instructor an email explaining why i wouldn't be back for a while. i found her response somewhat entertaining. first she feels that i have been 'improving', clearly what she sees in the mirror and what i do are two different things. but the best part was when she told me that she thought i was too hard on myself... oh yeah??? you think??!!!
i'm a competitive personality and an athlete to boot... you bet your lulu lemon coverd azz i'm hard on myself...
it's all a part of my charm :-)
we are a little over a week away from the arnold. my other friend army, who coincidentaly is in the army, and on her way back from a month long posting in japan. we are both very excited about hanging out again in ohio. army and tg are dieting for the same show again this year and they both would like me to be there. but for many reasons that's not in the cards. i've been racking my brain for a present for army. just want her to have something from me that says even though i can't be there i'm behind you... get 'er done. thats the message i get from the t-shirt tg sent me and the message i hope she got from the slippers i sent her.
well army is not the 'fun slippers' type. but she does love to train in a ball cap. i've been seeing that roots 'canada' ball cap and i've decided to pick one up and give it to her in ohio. if she trains in it, it will be like i'm there reminding her that any unscheduled stops at the cheesecake counter will get her a miche-sized azz kickin!! army's more inclined to respond favourably to vinegar that she would with honey. just a part of her charm i guess. LOL.
i've got a shoot scheduled for ohio. nothing crazy big but i still want to look my best. i am desperately trying to shed as much bf as i can before i get down there.
i'll be seeing george tomorrow to see what changes we will make in the diet. the good news is i finally have a date. june 9th has officially been announced as the show date. another promoter had to pick up the ball. they are basically adding the natural event to the card of the untested show they already had scheduled.
the show is going to be in sudbury, which is a 4-5 hour drive. i was concerned that my coach b, might not be able to make it. as a back up i asked speedy bike racer if she could be there. most of the stuff i could probably do on my own, but there is no way i can put the contest colour and pam on myself. it's a great relief to know that she said yes. having her colour me will be weird but will it be any more wierd than last year with b and his lady friend?
cannon was recently back in town. yes, i know people with real names. i like to use nicknames... just because i chose to air my life and thoughts in this forum does not necessarily mean that everyone i know wants to as well.
once upon a time i played football. i don't remember if i ever mentioned that before. when i started playing cannon was a team mate. she eventually moved to the u.s and i don't see her too often. i'm glad that we were able to get caught up over a cup of coffee. i don't fell like i have alot of friends but the one's i have, that have stood the test of time... are special.
speaking of special friends. s-nj dropped me a quick email, monday morning, to tell me that she had injured herself. doing something that she loves, but it's fairly serious and it's definately going to slow her down a bit. she had recently been hitting the gym regularily and was starting to see the kind of changes that truly improve the quality of one's life. not the sh!t i do... but the important stuff. i'm sorry she had a setback. nobody i know bounces back quite like s-nj... but i have to admit this injury has me concerned.
i'm quickly running short of patience these days. it's part of the reason why i finally quit the hip hop class. i just can't find the energy to keep doing something that i suck at, that i don't seem to improve at, or that i still don't even really understand why i was doing it. during last sunday's class i fell behind again and i found i was more irritated than usual, and far more than the situation warranted. rather that put myself in a postion where i might frighten the little dancing girls with a full on miche-tantrum... i'm going to tap out. maybe i will try again... after the show is done.
funny... i sent the instructor an email explaining why i wouldn't be back for a while. i found her response somewhat entertaining. first she feels that i have been 'improving', clearly what she sees in the mirror and what i do are two different things. but the best part was when she told me that she thought i was too hard on myself... oh yeah??? you think??!!!
i'm a competitive personality and an athlete to boot... you bet your lulu lemon coverd azz i'm hard on myself...
it's all a part of my charm :-)
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
what's new?
well i guess the biggest change is in my physique. yeah!! of course changes feel incredibly slow and i'm still way behind where i was last year at this time. i was looking at my pictures from last year recently. i was about 10lbs lighter and showing way more muscular definition.
as you know my friend tg recently sent me a t-shirt. i called her to thank her and i found out that she has been having some issues with her hips. she has been wearing a lift in her shoes to help balance out her hips and reduce her pain. the imbalance of course, has been compounded by the heavy lifting and the hard training involved with our sport.
both tg and i enjoy 'fun slippers' and she hasn't been able to wear hers for some time. she had a backless pair of curious george slippers. she has been told to wear her lift at all times and since the lifts will not stay in without backs... she had to park george.
well i couldn't have my friend going without fun slippers. so i got her a pair that match the dog slippers that i have. she called me on saturday, she got them, she loves them and the can 'slip' around the house with her lifts in.
here is a shot of me coolin' in my pair:
and the latest comparison:
as you know my friend tg recently sent me a t-shirt. i called her to thank her and i found out that she has been having some issues with her hips. she has been wearing a lift in her shoes to help balance out her hips and reduce her pain. the imbalance of course, has been compounded by the heavy lifting and the hard training involved with our sport.
both tg and i enjoy 'fun slippers' and she hasn't been able to wear hers for some time. she had a backless pair of curious george slippers. she has been told to wear her lift at all times and since the lifts will not stay in without backs... she had to park george.
well i couldn't have my friend going without fun slippers. so i got her a pair that match the dog slippers that i have. she called me on saturday, she got them, she loves them and the can 'slip' around the house with her lifts in.
here is a shot of me coolin' in my pair:
and the latest comparison:
Sunday, February 11, 2007
lesson's learned.
this is going to be a long one. i will likely post it in stages.
my friend had been told to take chromium picolinate to help with body fat reduction. since i'm in bb and lean mass is paramount to bb she asked me what i knew about chromium p. i had heard of chromium p but i didn't know anything about it.
a google search told me that it was a natural supplement and it wasn't likely to injure anyone who took it. it was reported to control the bodies insulin response. but here's the kicker... there was no scientific evidence to support the products effectiveness. tests were done and apparently the data was somewhat inconclusive.
the last time i saw george i told him what i had read about chromium p and he explained why the data was inconclusive. chromium p is a valid product that does indeed help control the bodies insulin response PROVIDED the user actually HAS diabetes!! in a diabetic body it controls insulin and that in turn does help some diabetic patients lower their body fat. however if your not diabetic, then there is no need for insulin control.. your bodies is already doing that and subsequently your body fat is not magically lowered.
the same he said, could be said of ALA, alpha lipoic acid. again if you have diabetes it's probably going to work. if you don't it's not. well guess what was on my shelf at home? ALA. why? because i was told to take it to help control my offseason body fat. did i not look up ALA before i bought it? i did. but the only information on it that i could find, that i could understand was that it was not harmful.
i also want to mention another product that was recommended to me. again, i attempted to research it but i was unable to find any more information that i could understand, beyond that it wasn't harmful. i just don't speak medical-ese.
GABA, gamma-aminobutyric acid. because i wasn't sleeping i was told to take GABA. it was supposed to hlep me sleep and have the added benefit of increased growth hormone production. thus i was going to sleep like a baby and i was going to grow bigger muscles. well i can't say that my sleep improved. on nights that i wasn't going to sleep, i still didn't. on nights that i was... well getting up the next morning was a challenge.
when my offseason weight became more of an issue than i could bare, i went to see george. i mentioned taking GABA to help me sleep and he told me something pretty fascinating. GABA, in his opinion, is not the best product to recommend to improve sleep. it's best application is to patients with depressive disorders. it can be very calming and can help those patients sleep. well what about the growth hormone production? as a natty i might be looking at a percentage of a pound of lean muscle growth. however... and this piece of knowledge was huge. GABA can trigger depressive responses in patients who are not depressed!!!!
so likely the GABA was helping me to feel even sh!ttier about my weight issues, upping my cortisol production (one of the stress hormones that hinders fat loss) and possibly even helping me feel the need to binge eat.
so we add that all together with the overindulgent 4000 calorie a day diet and it is really no wonder that i had weight issues.
and who do i think is at fault for all of this? me!!! i went looking for the 'secret' to bb. i was somehow convinced that there was something that i wasn't doing or was doing incorrectly. in 6 years i've added a fairly decent amount of muscle mass to my body. and i managed to do it without getting fat.
i'm not being overly dramatic. i normally offseason at 22-23% bodyfat. which is a decently athletic look, soft enough to encourage muscle gain but with enoght muscular definition to look athletic. this offseason i hit 30%!! which is soft enough to be soft with the muscular definition of a coil of kolbassa!!
as far as i know, i'm currently between weigh-in's, i'm down about 13 lbs. i would guess around 23% and i am now just starting to get compliments. people have noticed the weight loss. my face is leaner, my legs, stomach and arms have all come down. i've lost two inches off my chest and waist and another inch off of my hips.
i'm hoping to be down another 10lbs by ohio. that might be a lofty goal but i might be doing a photoshoot down there and i would prefer to be considerably leaner.
these lessons i won't soon forget.
my friend had been told to take chromium picolinate to help with body fat reduction. since i'm in bb and lean mass is paramount to bb she asked me what i knew about chromium p. i had heard of chromium p but i didn't know anything about it.
a google search told me that it was a natural supplement and it wasn't likely to injure anyone who took it. it was reported to control the bodies insulin response. but here's the kicker... there was no scientific evidence to support the products effectiveness. tests were done and apparently the data was somewhat inconclusive.
the last time i saw george i told him what i had read about chromium p and he explained why the data was inconclusive. chromium p is a valid product that does indeed help control the bodies insulin response PROVIDED the user actually HAS diabetes!! in a diabetic body it controls insulin and that in turn does help some diabetic patients lower their body fat. however if your not diabetic, then there is no need for insulin control.. your bodies is already doing that and subsequently your body fat is not magically lowered.
the same he said, could be said of ALA, alpha lipoic acid. again if you have diabetes it's probably going to work. if you don't it's not. well guess what was on my shelf at home? ALA. why? because i was told to take it to help control my offseason body fat. did i not look up ALA before i bought it? i did. but the only information on it that i could find, that i could understand was that it was not harmful.
i also want to mention another product that was recommended to me. again, i attempted to research it but i was unable to find any more information that i could understand, beyond that it wasn't harmful. i just don't speak medical-ese.
GABA, gamma-aminobutyric acid. because i wasn't sleeping i was told to take GABA. it was supposed to hlep me sleep and have the added benefit of increased growth hormone production. thus i was going to sleep like a baby and i was going to grow bigger muscles. well i can't say that my sleep improved. on nights that i wasn't going to sleep, i still didn't. on nights that i was... well getting up the next morning was a challenge.
when my offseason weight became more of an issue than i could bare, i went to see george. i mentioned taking GABA to help me sleep and he told me something pretty fascinating. GABA, in his opinion, is not the best product to recommend to improve sleep. it's best application is to patients with depressive disorders. it can be very calming and can help those patients sleep. well what about the growth hormone production? as a natty i might be looking at a percentage of a pound of lean muscle growth. however... and this piece of knowledge was huge. GABA can trigger depressive responses in patients who are not depressed!!!!
so likely the GABA was helping me to feel even sh!ttier about my weight issues, upping my cortisol production (one of the stress hormones that hinders fat loss) and possibly even helping me feel the need to binge eat.
so we add that all together with the overindulgent 4000 calorie a day diet and it is really no wonder that i had weight issues.
and who do i think is at fault for all of this? me!!! i went looking for the 'secret' to bb. i was somehow convinced that there was something that i wasn't doing or was doing incorrectly. in 6 years i've added a fairly decent amount of muscle mass to my body. and i managed to do it without getting fat.
i'm not being overly dramatic. i normally offseason at 22-23% bodyfat. which is a decently athletic look, soft enough to encourage muscle gain but with enoght muscular definition to look athletic. this offseason i hit 30%!! which is soft enough to be soft with the muscular definition of a coil of kolbassa!!
as far as i know, i'm currently between weigh-in's, i'm down about 13 lbs. i would guess around 23% and i am now just starting to get compliments. people have noticed the weight loss. my face is leaner, my legs, stomach and arms have all come down. i've lost two inches off my chest and waist and another inch off of my hips.
i'm hoping to be down another 10lbs by ohio. that might be a lofty goal but i might be doing a photoshoot down there and i would prefer to be considerably leaner.
these lessons i won't soon forget.
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
uggghh
last week wednesday i had a follow up appointment with george. he was happy with the rate of which i'm dropping the weight and he was hesitant to make any more changes at this time.
the downside was missing my regular wednesday night workout had me training 5 days in a row to get back on schedule. well monday was the 5th day and i have to tell you it was a battle of wills. on the drive to the gym i was yawning, not a good sign. i managed to get through the workout ok, but i really didn't feel like i had the gas left over for cardio. in fact i was halfway to the locker room when i got a text message from a friend off of the boards reminding me that i could tap out of cardio but the other girl on stage likely wont be. i did my cardio. the intensity wasn't there but hopefully that won't matter.
so your probably wondering how i'm doing? here is my first progress comparison:
and my last comparison:
the downside was missing my regular wednesday night workout had me training 5 days in a row to get back on schedule. well monday was the 5th day and i have to tell you it was a battle of wills. on the drive to the gym i was yawning, not a good sign. i managed to get through the workout ok, but i really didn't feel like i had the gas left over for cardio. in fact i was halfway to the locker room when i got a text message from a friend off of the boards reminding me that i could tap out of cardio but the other girl on stage likely wont be. i did my cardio. the intensity wasn't there but hopefully that won't matter.
so your probably wondering how i'm doing? here is my first progress comparison:
and my last comparison:
Monday, February 05, 2007
i did not fall off the earth
forgive me friends for it has been a month since my last 'confession', i know some of you have been worried. i recieved more than an email or two just to check that i was still playing a part in the oxygen - carbon dioxyde cycle.
first let me catch you up on what's new. the date of the show? still a mystery. i called the promoter when i first heard that the date of the show had been changed to mid-may. the promoter told me that he had not changed the date of the show and that it was still the end of april. of course the date in question already had a show on that date and its highly irregular to have shows on the same date... unless the locations are very far apart. i was told that he needed to look into it and that i should call him back a week later. from then i could only reach his voice mail and none of my messages were returned. to date i have had three show prep appointments with george with no confirmed show date.
since then i've heard from two different sources that the promoter who has been doing the show, is no longer doing shows with the OPA. so now what? will somebody else pick up the ball or will there be no natural show in ontario in 2007? that's where things stand at this point. but wait, i've been dieting since the 9th of december, what about that? well... i'm aiming for that mythical may 17th date in the hopes that rumour is true. if it's not then there IS a untested show the weekend following. i have no real desire to do an untested show but by that point i will have already been dieting for 6 months. it's time to do something and get back to growing.
it also officially looks like my friend tg and her husband will not be in ohio with army and i. just so you know show tickets, hotel reservations and plane tickets have all been purchased for the 2007 arnold schwarzenegger classic. its going to be a fun show to watch. plus a lot of members from my board will be attending the event and its very likely i will get to meet more of them.
speaking of tg she bought me a shirt. it came in the mail a few weeks back and i was really touched when i opened it. that one simple gesture made me feel like i truly had the support of a friend, who sees me as a bodybuilder as well, even IF i refuse to cross the supplement line. the interesting thing is, i hit a personal best squatting the first time i wore that shirt in the gym. below is a pic of me post workout.
first let me catch you up on what's new. the date of the show? still a mystery. i called the promoter when i first heard that the date of the show had been changed to mid-may. the promoter told me that he had not changed the date of the show and that it was still the end of april. of course the date in question already had a show on that date and its highly irregular to have shows on the same date... unless the locations are very far apart. i was told that he needed to look into it and that i should call him back a week later. from then i could only reach his voice mail and none of my messages were returned. to date i have had three show prep appointments with george with no confirmed show date.
since then i've heard from two different sources that the promoter who has been doing the show, is no longer doing shows with the OPA. so now what? will somebody else pick up the ball or will there be no natural show in ontario in 2007? that's where things stand at this point. but wait, i've been dieting since the 9th of december, what about that? well... i'm aiming for that mythical may 17th date in the hopes that rumour is true. if it's not then there IS a untested show the weekend following. i have no real desire to do an untested show but by that point i will have already been dieting for 6 months. it's time to do something and get back to growing.
it also officially looks like my friend tg and her husband will not be in ohio with army and i. just so you know show tickets, hotel reservations and plane tickets have all been purchased for the 2007 arnold schwarzenegger classic. its going to be a fun show to watch. plus a lot of members from my board will be attending the event and its very likely i will get to meet more of them.
speaking of tg she bought me a shirt. it came in the mail a few weeks back and i was really touched when i opened it. that one simple gesture made me feel like i truly had the support of a friend, who sees me as a bodybuilder as well, even IF i refuse to cross the supplement line. the interesting thing is, i hit a personal best squatting the first time i wore that shirt in the gym. below is a pic of me post workout.
Monday, January 01, 2007
2007... a new beginning
i was listening to a radio show yesterday, the dj was talking about 2007. he mentioned the futility of making reservations, he suggested instead to attack the new year. 'go and get' what you want in '07.
later last night i rented a movie. it wasn't a 'good' movie but the story was thought provoking. the hero in the movie had a history of hitting a modicum of success but he was forever held back by his fear of his success.
just when he should have done something to move forward to the next level, he would experience fear on a level he could not identify. he went surfing instead of to a meeting with a potential sponser. and he drank till he was sick the night before the big competition.
i've been thinking. there was never a missed meeting, nor any lapses in sobriety. but did i so fear failure that i sabotagued myself enough to not be truly successful? have i truly attacked what i wanted? have i ever truly attacked my dreams. if not why? is there some reason why i feel i don't deserve happiness or success?
what's worse miche? walking through life searching for something unknown or tearing into what i want and letting the chips fall where they may?
perhaps it's finally time to find out? surely it's possible to achieve my dreams?
later last night i rented a movie. it wasn't a 'good' movie but the story was thought provoking. the hero in the movie had a history of hitting a modicum of success but he was forever held back by his fear of his success.
just when he should have done something to move forward to the next level, he would experience fear on a level he could not identify. he went surfing instead of to a meeting with a potential sponser. and he drank till he was sick the night before the big competition.
i've been thinking. there was never a missed meeting, nor any lapses in sobriety. but did i so fear failure that i sabotagued myself enough to not be truly successful? have i truly attacked what i wanted? have i ever truly attacked my dreams. if not why? is there some reason why i feel i don't deserve happiness or success?
what's worse miche? walking through life searching for something unknown or tearing into what i want and letting the chips fall where they may?
perhaps it's finally time to find out? surely it's possible to achieve my dreams?
Friday, December 29, 2006
you can't always get what you want...
so sings mick and the boys. and alas that is what i am here to share with you tonight. second week of the diet was not as inspiring as the first which sucked, but that is life. and the last squat of the year did not go as well as i would have liked... which also sucked.
the squat was likely a product of bad timing and poor judgement. my pc went down on wednesday and i think i allowed myself to be so distracted by that, that i trained the wrong muscle group. so instead of squatting on wednesday i was forced to squat today. the problem with that was that i went to the skatepark with the guys last night and spent a couple hours in the mini ramp. likely not condusive to a positive squat performance. oh well... i guess there is always next year???
the physical changes continue. its so much easier to quickly get to my target heart rate and keep it there. the rings feel loose. i feel stronger, i am continuing to breathe better. and visually i look tighter.
i opted out of all family holiday celebrations. i had no intentions of getting off the diet and i did not want the added headache of explaining to my family that i could not and would not eat any of the food they had out. selfish? perhaps but i wasn't feeling particularly strong either of the days my family got together and with a 40lb loss ahead of me... i felt it was better to be safe than sorry.
oh yeah... this is good, so the date of my show is likely changed again. the question remains to when? i hope to find out by early next week. hopefully before i go see george.
onwards and upwards the battle continues.
the squat was likely a product of bad timing and poor judgement. my pc went down on wednesday and i think i allowed myself to be so distracted by that, that i trained the wrong muscle group. so instead of squatting on wednesday i was forced to squat today. the problem with that was that i went to the skatepark with the guys last night and spent a couple hours in the mini ramp. likely not condusive to a positive squat performance. oh well... i guess there is always next year???
the physical changes continue. its so much easier to quickly get to my target heart rate and keep it there. the rings feel loose. i feel stronger, i am continuing to breathe better. and visually i look tighter.
i opted out of all family holiday celebrations. i had no intentions of getting off the diet and i did not want the added headache of explaining to my family that i could not and would not eat any of the food they had out. selfish? perhaps but i wasn't feeling particularly strong either of the days my family got together and with a 40lb loss ahead of me... i felt it was better to be safe than sorry.
oh yeah... this is good, so the date of my show is likely changed again. the question remains to when? i hope to find out by early next week. hopefully before i go see george.
onwards and upwards the battle continues.
Sunday, December 17, 2006
one down 19 to go...
the first week of the diet is in the history books. i'm both pleased and a little disappointed all at the same time. first of all the good; i am down 3.5lbs, i'm 5'8" smaller in the waist and 1" smaller in the chest. not bad for a week, but i'd be lying if i didn't admit to hoping for a greater loss.
i thought i'd share some of the positive changes that i've noticed in this first week. first of all my favourite change, doing cardio is getting easier. i'm not saying i was horribily out of shape but there were a couple times during that first session were i thought i might have been walking towards 'the light'. climbing the stairs at the carpark is also getting a little easier. the rings on my fingers fit looser. my personal favourite, the veins are starting to reappear on my forearms. i am actually getting stronger.
sadly my mother feels its necessary to point out how 'fat' i've gotten. somehow she is convinced that i am unaware of the difference in my physique. today she amused herself by poking at me and announcing that i was exploding out of my clothes. apparently at the family function last night she was telling all who would listen that they wouldn't believe me if they saw me. she told them how big my azz was and how i was 'exploding'. oh and this is rich. they have determined that i actually purposely plan these diets around the family functions so that i won't have to go. okay people what kind of nutbar goes on a 5 month diet to avoid their family???!!
this weekend i officially put my bike away for the winter. speed racer and i are storing out bikes together. speed racer insists that her bike is a boy and so perhaps before i left jade i should have sat her down and had that 'little talk' with her. hopefully i won't end up with a couple of pocket bikes come spring.
anyway here is a pic of zeph and jade as they hunker down for winter... well assuming we ever actually get a winter.
i thought i'd share some of the positive changes that i've noticed in this first week. first of all my favourite change, doing cardio is getting easier. i'm not saying i was horribily out of shape but there were a couple times during that first session were i thought i might have been walking towards 'the light'. climbing the stairs at the carpark is also getting a little easier. the rings on my fingers fit looser. my personal favourite, the veins are starting to reappear on my forearms. i am actually getting stronger.
sadly my mother feels its necessary to point out how 'fat' i've gotten. somehow she is convinced that i am unaware of the difference in my physique. today she amused herself by poking at me and announcing that i was exploding out of my clothes. apparently at the family function last night she was telling all who would listen that they wouldn't believe me if they saw me. she told them how big my azz was and how i was 'exploding'. oh and this is rich. they have determined that i actually purposely plan these diets around the family functions so that i won't have to go. okay people what kind of nutbar goes on a 5 month diet to avoid their family???!!
this weekend i officially put my bike away for the winter. speed racer and i are storing out bikes together. speed racer insists that her bike is a boy and so perhaps before i left jade i should have sat her down and had that 'little talk' with her. hopefully i won't end up with a couple of pocket bikes come spring.
anyway here is a pic of zeph and jade as they hunker down for winter... well assuming we ever actually get a winter.
Thursday, December 14, 2006
movin on up... ahhh... make that down
so here i sit almost the full week into the diet of 2007. sure it starts the last 3 weeks of 2006 but since the rest of the 17 weeks are in 2007 it all counts. the question is, how is it going? well i would have to say it's going pretty well. i'm actually feeling pretty positive about things. i guess i forgot how well george knows me. i stepped on the scale on day 3 and i was happy to note that i had already lost 2lbs of water, i haven't been back on since but i already feel the difference.
i have a funny feeling that i wasn't having a horrific, almost unrecoverable post show rebound. i think now that i was simply eating far and above the calories i should have. even when i started dropping calories i never got it any lower than 2600/day. when george took a look at what i was eating he told me that i wasn't active enough to require that kind of caloric intake. so next offseason i will take it back to 2300 calories per day and keep that scale around 160lbs. my metabolism can not handle in excess of 2300 calories per day. bodybuilding is about learning. the more you know about what works for you the better condition you will be in. i have no hard feelings about the months i trained with jennifer. granted i did lose my ever loving mind when the scale shot to the right and set up camp but i learned, beyond a shadow of a doubt that there are limitations to the amount of calories i can process.
on the other hand the exercise changes she made have worked for me. my massage therapist tells me that she can feel a difference in my musculature. both in size and in density. if she is right, then april should be a very exciting time for me.
i noticed some nasty changes when i got to 173.6lbs; i lost strength in the gym. i know you would think that since i was heavier i'd be that much stronger but i would end sets literally gasping for air. not because i had reached muscular fatigue but rather because i had to stop to catch my breath. in fact i almost fainted after a set of deadlifts last week!
climbing the stairs at the carpark at work always had me grossly winded by the time i reached my car. for someone who is in the gym 4 times a week it was hard to feel so out of shape.
i literally had no clothes that fit comfortably. last week friday was the gym's xmas party. i wore the same outfit i had in miami, but with one hell of a difference. it barely fit. who am i kidding it did not fit. and if that weren't enough i had to move jade from the bike shop and into storage, (she is going to spend the winter hanging out with her buddy zeph). well i hope this isn't too graphic for you but i dayumm near gave myself a hysterectomy trying close my bike leathers. i was fat... and im not talkin 'bout the p to the h. i'm talkin somebody call jenny craig!!!!
by saturday i expect all of my water weight to be gone and from there i will concentrate on the real weight i have to lose to make my april dreams a reality.
next stop 10%!!!
p.s. a lot of you have taken the time to tell me that you support me in this journey. i want to thank you all for your support... i wish i had the words to tell you how much that means to me.
p.s.s i had posted this and logged off before i remembered that i wanted to share something else with you. i set a personal best on the gym floor last night. it was part of the reason behind this flurry of blogging today. i easily got 8 reps with a weight i struggled to get 5 with previously. it was so easy in fact... had it not already been my final set i surely would have thrown on more weight and tried a previously untested weight. i hope im still this energetic the next time i squat!!!
i have a funny feeling that i wasn't having a horrific, almost unrecoverable post show rebound. i think now that i was simply eating far and above the calories i should have. even when i started dropping calories i never got it any lower than 2600/day. when george took a look at what i was eating he told me that i wasn't active enough to require that kind of caloric intake. so next offseason i will take it back to 2300 calories per day and keep that scale around 160lbs. my metabolism can not handle in excess of 2300 calories per day. bodybuilding is about learning. the more you know about what works for you the better condition you will be in. i have no hard feelings about the months i trained with jennifer. granted i did lose my ever loving mind when the scale shot to the right and set up camp but i learned, beyond a shadow of a doubt that there are limitations to the amount of calories i can process.
on the other hand the exercise changes she made have worked for me. my massage therapist tells me that she can feel a difference in my musculature. both in size and in density. if she is right, then april should be a very exciting time for me.
i noticed some nasty changes when i got to 173.6lbs; i lost strength in the gym. i know you would think that since i was heavier i'd be that much stronger but i would end sets literally gasping for air. not because i had reached muscular fatigue but rather because i had to stop to catch my breath. in fact i almost fainted after a set of deadlifts last week!
climbing the stairs at the carpark at work always had me grossly winded by the time i reached my car. for someone who is in the gym 4 times a week it was hard to feel so out of shape.
i literally had no clothes that fit comfortably. last week friday was the gym's xmas party. i wore the same outfit i had in miami, but with one hell of a difference. it barely fit. who am i kidding it did not fit. and if that weren't enough i had to move jade from the bike shop and into storage, (she is going to spend the winter hanging out with her buddy zeph). well i hope this isn't too graphic for you but i dayumm near gave myself a hysterectomy trying close my bike leathers. i was fat... and im not talkin 'bout the p to the h. i'm talkin somebody call jenny craig!!!!
by saturday i expect all of my water weight to be gone and from there i will concentrate on the real weight i have to lose to make my april dreams a reality.
next stop 10%!!!
p.s. a lot of you have taken the time to tell me that you support me in this journey. i want to thank you all for your support... i wish i had the words to tell you how much that means to me.
p.s.s i had posted this and logged off before i remembered that i wanted to share something else with you. i set a personal best on the gym floor last night. it was part of the reason behind this flurry of blogging today. i easily got 8 reps with a weight i struggled to get 5 with previously. it was so easy in fact... had it not already been my final set i surely would have thrown on more weight and tried a previously untested weight. i hope im still this energetic the next time i squat!!!
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
in greater detail
i was asked today, quite vehemently i might add, why i did not choose to sit out the '07 season. why exactly was it so important that i compete.
well what can i say? there are things about me that i know. for example i know that i set out to do something last june that i feel was not done. i know the general consenus is that i should be proud of what i did last summer and to a certain extent i am, however i did not come close to the target that i set out for myself.
i have other friends who fear i am setting myself up for failure by unfairly comparing my physique to that of athletes who use. to that i say, there are a 6 people with clipboards a scant few feet from the front of the stage who are not saying 'ya know, for a drug free athlete who was born with poor calves and a tendency to hold bodyfat around her middle she isn't half bad'. no my friends they are more apt to note that competitor #56 needs to bring up her calves, dry out her legs and come in a little tighter in the midsection. the judges don't care who has used what to get to the stage. yes, there are limits to what i can achieve however, i can know that and still try to bust my azz to bring in the best condition i can. that seems to me to be more positive than simply saying it can't be done.
and further what about my piece of mind? for if i sat out this season i know i would forever be faced with what if's. did i sit out the season to heal or because i was afraid to fail? was sitting out the right decision? what if it was my year? it may sound like an awful lot to put oneself through for a $5 trophy but it's not for the trophy... i compete for more than that, i compete for my honour and my self respect. i compete because i am a comptitive athlete and it's what i do.
i don't expect everyone to understand, i do hope that most of you can support me in this venture and for those of you who can't... happy holidays.
well what can i say? there are things about me that i know. for example i know that i set out to do something last june that i feel was not done. i know the general consenus is that i should be proud of what i did last summer and to a certain extent i am, however i did not come close to the target that i set out for myself.
i have other friends who fear i am setting myself up for failure by unfairly comparing my physique to that of athletes who use. to that i say, there are a 6 people with clipboards a scant few feet from the front of the stage who are not saying 'ya know, for a drug free athlete who was born with poor calves and a tendency to hold bodyfat around her middle she isn't half bad'. no my friends they are more apt to note that competitor #56 needs to bring up her calves, dry out her legs and come in a little tighter in the midsection. the judges don't care who has used what to get to the stage. yes, there are limits to what i can achieve however, i can know that and still try to bust my azz to bring in the best condition i can. that seems to me to be more positive than simply saying it can't be done.
and further what about my piece of mind? for if i sat out this season i know i would forever be faced with what if's. did i sit out the season to heal or because i was afraid to fail? was sitting out the right decision? what if it was my year? it may sound like an awful lot to put oneself through for a $5 trophy but it's not for the trophy... i compete for more than that, i compete for my honour and my self respect. i compete because i am a comptitive athlete and it's what i do.
i don't expect everyone to understand, i do hope that most of you can support me in this venture and for those of you who can't... happy holidays.
Sunday, December 03, 2006
the latest
last time i checked in with you i had just found out that my show date had been moved forward and i was reeling from the loss of two months growth.
since then i've had conversations with friends who've proposed i allow myself more healing time and either pick a later untested show or sit out the '07 season entirely.
the untested shows i'm told are fine at the lower levels as the majority of competitors are not aggressively using. my friends have all recently done shows at the 'lower levels'. now some of my friends have aspirations, they intend to go far in this game and as near as i can tell their approach has not been casual. as well some of those friends have told me that only the most blessed of nattys could competitively share the stage with those that use.
well ive listened to what all have said and i am still interested in redeeming myself at the show i did before. but i felt the final decision would be made after i discussed things with george.
friday night he and i sat down and he gave me a few more things to think about. first and foremost he predicts my next rebound will be worse than this one. i have to know that going in, to decide if i will be able to handle it emotionally. he felt he would have been remiss if he did not recommend i pick a later show or sit out '07 entirely. he asked how i felt about either option and i had to tell him that neither option appealed to me.
so then we got down to business. in order to be better prepared this time we discussed bringing me in a few percentage points leaner. he tells me my goal is 'tough to do naturally'. he also said that we know from last time that i 'stall out in the last three weeks'.
i wish he had told me that last june or even last july. it will be of no suprise to anyone who 'knows' me that i agonized over what went wrong. i knew i didn't cheat. i felt i had followed instructions to the letter. so i couldn't figure out where i had erred.
anyway the plan is to hit it hard. last time we tried to bring me in slow and steady. this time we will come in more aggressively allowing for more time for the final weeks. this time round my friends i'm going to suffer.
as cypher said to neo 'buckle your seatbelt dorothy, cuz kansas is about to go bye-bye'
since then i've had conversations with friends who've proposed i allow myself more healing time and either pick a later untested show or sit out the '07 season entirely.
the untested shows i'm told are fine at the lower levels as the majority of competitors are not aggressively using. my friends have all recently done shows at the 'lower levels'. now some of my friends have aspirations, they intend to go far in this game and as near as i can tell their approach has not been casual. as well some of those friends have told me that only the most blessed of nattys could competitively share the stage with those that use.
well ive listened to what all have said and i am still interested in redeeming myself at the show i did before. but i felt the final decision would be made after i discussed things with george.
friday night he and i sat down and he gave me a few more things to think about. first and foremost he predicts my next rebound will be worse than this one. i have to know that going in, to decide if i will be able to handle it emotionally. he felt he would have been remiss if he did not recommend i pick a later show or sit out '07 entirely. he asked how i felt about either option and i had to tell him that neither option appealed to me.
so then we got down to business. in order to be better prepared this time we discussed bringing me in a few percentage points leaner. he tells me my goal is 'tough to do naturally'. he also said that we know from last time that i 'stall out in the last three weeks'.
i wish he had told me that last june or even last july. it will be of no suprise to anyone who 'knows' me that i agonized over what went wrong. i knew i didn't cheat. i felt i had followed instructions to the letter. so i couldn't figure out where i had erred.
anyway the plan is to hit it hard. last time we tried to bring me in slow and steady. this time we will come in more aggressively allowing for more time for the final weeks. this time round my friends i'm going to suffer.
as cypher said to neo 'buckle your seatbelt dorothy, cuz kansas is about to go bye-bye'
Sunday, November 26, 2006
wtf!!!
so i went to brantford last night to check out the last show of the season. a friend of mine had picked it to be her coming out party and what a cotillion it was! she didn't just make a buzz, she roared. justly so... i have never seen any athlete step on a level 1 stage looking so prepared. hell i'm trying to remember if i've seen a level 2 that prepared. if you can't tell i am pretty proud of her. hell i'm proud of all of my fbb friends each and everyone of them has had a banner year.
darrem charles guest posed. i love darrem, some of you know i've got mad love for 'marvelous' melvin anthony and i even have an extra special soft spot for the 'texas tornado' frank roberson. and based on a link sent to my by my friend army i look forward to fred smalls getting his pro card. you all know where i stand on the art of posing, so i won't bore you by repeating myself.
i passed darrem as he was leaving the venue. actually he almost walked into me. i'm not sure that would have been a bad thing, i would love to know what that kind of muscle feels like up close!!! ummm.... ahhhh... ok... what was i saying??? oh... yeah..... focus miche... so as i passed darrem i said 'that was an awesome posing routine', and as he thanked me i added ...'as always'. of course in true miche fashion the entire exchange happened with me in motion!! i'm a big ole chicken sh!t when it comes to the menz.
they had a programme with much of the 2007 schedule listed on it. of course i looked and there was a show on the date that i had expected the ontario naturals to be on. i was confused. it's not logical to have two shows on the same day. did that mean my show was the last weekend of june?
well i happened to notice the show promoter wandering around the venue. i kept wondering aloud if i should go ask him. my friend, who was probably tired of listening to me (lol) told me to go ask... so i did. well the long and the short of it is, the show date has been changed but not by a week or two. i found out last night that i have exactly two weeks left of offseason growth before i need to start dieting for the end of fawkin april!!!
the question here is, have i recovered from the horrific rebound i had post comp/post photo shoot?? as of yesterday morning 22 weeks our, i was a mere 36 fawking lbs over contest weight. ok for those of you who do not know, for an unassisted athlete 36 lbs over is all kinds of bad. sure i've added muscle along with that 36lbs but and this is the kicker! unassisted it is next to impossible to maintain the new muscle mass as i burn off the excess fat tissue. thus i could come in stringy and flat!!!
well i've talked to the man who coached me through my show prep and he feels i will be 'fine' and that enough time has passed and that my body will respond. since i tried dieting as recently as just before miami to no avail i'm not so sure. besides i did 'fine' last year... fine sucks... i want more!!!!
as soon as nature's source opens today i'm calling to book an appointment to see george. he did my diet last year... well actually he's been doing it for the past 6+ years. he will have a better idea if april is do-able for me. he also needs to know that i intend to be much better conditioned than last time. i'm thinking i need to be down closer to 10%. i think i was 14% last time and the pictures and placing tell the story. not nearly lean enough!!!
so most would ask am i upset or bothered about dieting through x-mas? actually now. no disrespect intended to my family but for the longest time i haven't enjoyed anything i've had at any family function. i had cake at my brothers birthday, pie at thanksgiving and it was all just disappointing... and the meals themselves???? yawn!!!
i'm upset about two things; being 7 weeks out at the arnold classic in march and only having two more weeks to add mass.
yikes!!!
oh well, if it was easy... everybody'd be doing it.
go time in two weeks???? stay tuned
darrem charles guest posed. i love darrem, some of you know i've got mad love for 'marvelous' melvin anthony and i even have an extra special soft spot for the 'texas tornado' frank roberson. and based on a link sent to my by my friend army i look forward to fred smalls getting his pro card. you all know where i stand on the art of posing, so i won't bore you by repeating myself.
i passed darrem as he was leaving the venue. actually he almost walked into me. i'm not sure that would have been a bad thing, i would love to know what that kind of muscle feels like up close!!! ummm.... ahhhh... ok... what was i saying??? oh... yeah..... focus miche... so as i passed darrem i said 'that was an awesome posing routine', and as he thanked me i added ...'as always'. of course in true miche fashion the entire exchange happened with me in motion!! i'm a big ole chicken sh!t when it comes to the menz.
they had a programme with much of the 2007 schedule listed on it. of course i looked and there was a show on the date that i had expected the ontario naturals to be on. i was confused. it's not logical to have two shows on the same day. did that mean my show was the last weekend of june?
well i happened to notice the show promoter wandering around the venue. i kept wondering aloud if i should go ask him. my friend, who was probably tired of listening to me (lol) told me to go ask... so i did. well the long and the short of it is, the show date has been changed but not by a week or two. i found out last night that i have exactly two weeks left of offseason growth before i need to start dieting for the end of fawkin april!!!
the question here is, have i recovered from the horrific rebound i had post comp/post photo shoot?? as of yesterday morning 22 weeks our, i was a mere 36 fawking lbs over contest weight. ok for those of you who do not know, for an unassisted athlete 36 lbs over is all kinds of bad. sure i've added muscle along with that 36lbs but and this is the kicker! unassisted it is next to impossible to maintain the new muscle mass as i burn off the excess fat tissue. thus i could come in stringy and flat!!!
well i've talked to the man who coached me through my show prep and he feels i will be 'fine' and that enough time has passed and that my body will respond. since i tried dieting as recently as just before miami to no avail i'm not so sure. besides i did 'fine' last year... fine sucks... i want more!!!!
as soon as nature's source opens today i'm calling to book an appointment to see george. he did my diet last year... well actually he's been doing it for the past 6+ years. he will have a better idea if april is do-able for me. he also needs to know that i intend to be much better conditioned than last time. i'm thinking i need to be down closer to 10%. i think i was 14% last time and the pictures and placing tell the story. not nearly lean enough!!!
so most would ask am i upset or bothered about dieting through x-mas? actually now. no disrespect intended to my family but for the longest time i haven't enjoyed anything i've had at any family function. i had cake at my brothers birthday, pie at thanksgiving and it was all just disappointing... and the meals themselves???? yawn!!!
i'm upset about two things; being 7 weeks out at the arnold classic in march and only having two more weeks to add mass.
yikes!!!
oh well, if it was easy... everybody'd be doing it.
go time in two weeks???? stay tuned
Friday, November 24, 2006
just wanted you to know...
as i mentioned previously i have started training in the evenings and starting my day a little bit later. its only been a week so far but at this point it's looking pretty good. since saturday night i have amassed 40 hours of sleep... which is not bad at all. i find i am tired when i go to bed now and i seem to spend less time tossing and turning before i nod off. i am also sleeping through the night. as well the scale which went bananas after i returned from miami seems to be heading in a positive direction. here's hoping this works and i am not looking at a 24 week contest prep.
speaking of contest preps... going to the last show of the season this weekend in brantford. one of my friends from the boards is competiting. i am proud of her. hell i am proud of anyone who decides they want to compete and does the hard work... the diet, the exercise, the hours of cardio, the sacrifice, etc... trust me the journey to the stage is oft times a battle of will. everyone who makes it should be commended. saturday will be an exciting time.
wow... that's it till 2007... next show will be the arnold classic in march. yikes!! that feels so far away.
interestingly enough... time truly is relative. my march trip to ohio seems so far away however, i start dieting february 4th and that feels like it is just a few weeks away. LOL. must have something to do with spending half of the year dieting. i am not complaining... one half of the year dieting the other half of the year getting big... its what we do.
may you all have the very best day you can.
speaking of contest preps... going to the last show of the season this weekend in brantford. one of my friends from the boards is competiting. i am proud of her. hell i am proud of anyone who decides they want to compete and does the hard work... the diet, the exercise, the hours of cardio, the sacrifice, etc... trust me the journey to the stage is oft times a battle of will. everyone who makes it should be commended. saturday will be an exciting time.
wow... that's it till 2007... next show will be the arnold classic in march. yikes!! that feels so far away.
interestingly enough... time truly is relative. my march trip to ohio seems so far away however, i start dieting february 4th and that feels like it is just a few weeks away. LOL. must have something to do with spending half of the year dieting. i am not complaining... one half of the year dieting the other half of the year getting big... its what we do.
may you all have the very best day you can.
Friday, November 17, 2006
i've been thinkin again...
on to the new plan. I have decided that it’s time for a new plan. I based this decision on the simple fact that I am almost always exhausted. I need more sleep. without more quality sleep I will not grow, and I will not be able to control the body fat.
so what’s the new plan? well first starting next week I’m returning to evening workouts. I never get to bed by 9pm no matter what I try. the best I’ve ever been able to do was 9:15pm. more times than not I’m still wide awake till closer to 10:30pm. well if I am going to be up late anyways it makes no sense to get up at 4am. so I will be starting my day closer to 6am… except on the days when I have to train my a.m client.
as for clients. I’ve happily gone months without any new folks and within the last couple of months ive been getting more requests than I know what to do with. not enough to make a living off… but I’ve recently been asked by 3 people and they claim to specifically want to train with me. with my work schedule I have my hands more than filled with the two clients I have now.
here is a funny story for you. as some of you know I am on myspace. one of my myspace friends recently sent me email telling of a young friend of hers who saw my pic on her page and wants her to hook him up I guess. so she emailed me to find out how I felt about it. well… to say I am a bit hesitant is an understatement. she doesn’t have a very good track record with me. the last guy she attempted to set me up with spent the entire date telling me about how he met her, how sweet she was, how much fun she was… it didn’t take me long to realize that buddy was clearly out with the ‘wrong’ woman.
now I can’t blame this on my friend but my last experience with the fix-up went even worse. the guy who did the fixing claimed that he had a friend he thought I would like. I was told that this guy ‘looked’ like a bodybuilder. well of course I was curious. the young man also rollerbladed, albeit recreationally, so my friend thought it was a match made in heaven. well I met his friend and he had a basketball players physique. I know what your thinking well some of those ballplayers are kind of jacked. well with all due respect this guy was more like a chris bosch physique than say a karl malone (back when he was huge). so this little charmer and I went rollerblading partway through the skate he got hot and he took off his shirt. his shorts were riding way low and I had a confirmed view of much butt crack… that mofo was running commando!!! wtf?!!
so what’s the new plan? well first starting next week I’m returning to evening workouts. I never get to bed by 9pm no matter what I try. the best I’ve ever been able to do was 9:15pm. more times than not I’m still wide awake till closer to 10:30pm. well if I am going to be up late anyways it makes no sense to get up at 4am. so I will be starting my day closer to 6am… except on the days when I have to train my a.m client.
as for clients. I’ve happily gone months without any new folks and within the last couple of months ive been getting more requests than I know what to do with. not enough to make a living off… but I’ve recently been asked by 3 people and they claim to specifically want to train with me. with my work schedule I have my hands more than filled with the two clients I have now.
here is a funny story for you. as some of you know I am on myspace. one of my myspace friends recently sent me email telling of a young friend of hers who saw my pic on her page and wants her to hook him up I guess. so she emailed me to find out how I felt about it. well… to say I am a bit hesitant is an understatement. she doesn’t have a very good track record with me. the last guy she attempted to set me up with spent the entire date telling me about how he met her, how sweet she was, how much fun she was… it didn’t take me long to realize that buddy was clearly out with the ‘wrong’ woman.
now I can’t blame this on my friend but my last experience with the fix-up went even worse. the guy who did the fixing claimed that he had a friend he thought I would like. I was told that this guy ‘looked’ like a bodybuilder. well of course I was curious. the young man also rollerbladed, albeit recreationally, so my friend thought it was a match made in heaven. well I met his friend and he had a basketball players physique. I know what your thinking well some of those ballplayers are kind of jacked. well with all due respect this guy was more like a chris bosch physique than say a karl malone (back when he was huge). so this little charmer and I went rollerblading partway through the skate he got hot and he took off his shirt. his shorts were riding way low and I had a confirmed view of much butt crack… that mofo was running commando!!! wtf?!!
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
home again... naturally
as i had originally planned i spent november 9-13th in miami checking out the NPC nationals. it is the last pro-qualifier of the bodybuilding season. as i am on a few bb boards it was no great suprise to realize that a lot of the competitors were people i knew from the boards.
i had hoped that elena seiple would finally be awarded her pro card but once again it just wasn't to be. mandy polk who had the misfortune of getting tangled in the ryan-titus mess was able to win her pro card after going through a pretty horrific year of bad luck and negative fall out. so i was pretty happy for her.
i also have to admit i become more and more of a fitness fan the more of these shows i attend. those women are out of their ever lovin mind. they will leap 800 feet into the air and then land in full splits. i wonder if they dont suffer from bruising and if any of that mess would affect their ability to have children at a later date?
i was a bit disappointed with bb to be honest with you. i just didn't feel like there were any entertainers on the stage. for the most part routines were mandatories with a musical backdrop. i longed for a melvin anthony, a vince taylor or even a king kamali type to bring the house down. i can't express how important i feel the night routine is to our sport. sure, everybody knows that all scoring is done in prejudging. nothing that happens during the night show has any impact on final placings.
you know what? as competitive athletes we have foisted our moody azzes on our friends and families as we prep for the big day. these same people, most often mere a fan of the person on stage and not of the sport, sit through endless shows just to get a chance to glimpse at us. we OWE those people a show. more than just being big, symmetrical and ripped on stage... we have to be entertaining as well.
oddly enough i ran into fbb pro's colette nelson, mimi jabalee and amanda dunbar outside of the south beach gold's on the friday. colette and i got into a conversation about the importance of the final routine. she basically had this to say, 'i used to worry about winning and finishing first... don't get me wrong, i still want to win but now i focus more on the performance... on owning that stage. i find i'm a lot more relaxed that way.' she then went on to speak of some of the more entertaining female posers she looks up to women like lenda murray and patterns her night routine after that kind of professionalism.
i ended up getting into a discussion about routines with one of the friends i was travelling with. we both come at the night routine from different angles... although we are both performers in our own right. she prefers to plant the audience full of family and friends who will scream for her. they more they scream the more she will perform. i on the other hand prefer to be in front of a room full of strangers. if i can get those strangers screaming for me... then i know i have done it. i was like that back when i was rollerblading as well.
i remember my week performing at a fair in ladsen, south carolina. every day i would drop in on the ramp taking a few set up airs, just to feel how the ramp felt. i would barely go over the coping. you see during warm ups we would often have a crowd gathered who would then stick around for the show. once the show started and they introduced me i would drop in and i would launch myself up out of the ramp as high as i could. you know what i always heard on that first air?? the entire crowd would gasp, by the time i aired off of my second wall they were mine. maybe that sounds bad... but it gave the audience a better show and i know doing it that way i gave a better show... so as near as i can tell, everybody won.
two more weeks until my friend does her first show. from all the pics of her i've seen, she is looking amazing. she is using the same guy to dial her in that i did... i have to remember to tell him that he better dial me in that tight next time cuz i know i wanna go on stage looking THAT good.
i had hoped that elena seiple would finally be awarded her pro card but once again it just wasn't to be. mandy polk who had the misfortune of getting tangled in the ryan-titus mess was able to win her pro card after going through a pretty horrific year of bad luck and negative fall out. so i was pretty happy for her.
i also have to admit i become more and more of a fitness fan the more of these shows i attend. those women are out of their ever lovin mind. they will leap 800 feet into the air and then land in full splits. i wonder if they dont suffer from bruising and if any of that mess would affect their ability to have children at a later date?
i was a bit disappointed with bb to be honest with you. i just didn't feel like there were any entertainers on the stage. for the most part routines were mandatories with a musical backdrop. i longed for a melvin anthony, a vince taylor or even a king kamali type to bring the house down. i can't express how important i feel the night routine is to our sport. sure, everybody knows that all scoring is done in prejudging. nothing that happens during the night show has any impact on final placings.
you know what? as competitive athletes we have foisted our moody azzes on our friends and families as we prep for the big day. these same people, most often mere a fan of the person on stage and not of the sport, sit through endless shows just to get a chance to glimpse at us. we OWE those people a show. more than just being big, symmetrical and ripped on stage... we have to be entertaining as well.
oddly enough i ran into fbb pro's colette nelson, mimi jabalee and amanda dunbar outside of the south beach gold's on the friday. colette and i got into a conversation about the importance of the final routine. she basically had this to say, 'i used to worry about winning and finishing first... don't get me wrong, i still want to win but now i focus more on the performance... on owning that stage. i find i'm a lot more relaxed that way.' she then went on to speak of some of the more entertaining female posers she looks up to women like lenda murray and patterns her night routine after that kind of professionalism.
i ended up getting into a discussion about routines with one of the friends i was travelling with. we both come at the night routine from different angles... although we are both performers in our own right. she prefers to plant the audience full of family and friends who will scream for her. they more they scream the more she will perform. i on the other hand prefer to be in front of a room full of strangers. if i can get those strangers screaming for me... then i know i have done it. i was like that back when i was rollerblading as well.
i remember my week performing at a fair in ladsen, south carolina. every day i would drop in on the ramp taking a few set up airs, just to feel how the ramp felt. i would barely go over the coping. you see during warm ups we would often have a crowd gathered who would then stick around for the show. once the show started and they introduced me i would drop in and i would launch myself up out of the ramp as high as i could. you know what i always heard on that first air?? the entire crowd would gasp, by the time i aired off of my second wall they were mine. maybe that sounds bad... but it gave the audience a better show and i know doing it that way i gave a better show... so as near as i can tell, everybody won.
two more weeks until my friend does her first show. from all the pics of her i've seen, she is looking amazing. she is using the same guy to dial her in that i did... i have to remember to tell him that he better dial me in that tight next time cuz i know i wanna go on stage looking THAT good.
Sunday, October 29, 2006
ok now what??
friday was a banner dan on the gym floor. i set a personal best in my front squat. the entire workout was a good one and i woke up saturday a.m. barely able to bend my legs. that made for a fairly interesting saturday as i had both conventional deadlifts and a cold, damp ride to the mechanics ahead of me.
with the limited mobility i didn't expect much out of my dead's. i mean first and foremost i had to bend my sore legs enough to get close enough to the bar to pick it up in the first place. well suprise, suprise... if i didn't manage to set a new personal best on back day too.
so by the time i slid into my long johns and my bike leathers my mobility issues had spread from my legs and into my back as well. thankfully the rain stopped and the roads dried up some on my way in. so what could have been a sh!tty ride, turned out to be... not that bad. i was however pretty dayummm cold by the time i got there.
maybe i should have re-thought my hip hop dance class. but i thought that the hippin' and the hoppin' might help to loosen up my legs and my back. clearly i was wrong, i was so very wrong. i left dance class with a painful gait. had i been a horse.. i'm sure i would have been taken out behind the barn and shot!
that is not where the story ends though. i slept fitfully. i imaging because i couldn't find a comfortable position. i woke up very hungry at 3:00 a.m. i figured i could have a shake and get back in bed, get up at 5:30 a.m and still make it in to work on time.
partway through my shake i was over come with the urge to faint. i put my head down on the table and willed the feeling to pass. when that didn't work it was on to plan b, get my azz back to bed before i passed out.
i couldn't have either of the parental units find me sprawled out on the floor. that has happened once before and it wasn't pretty. mom lost her mind. dad became somewhat maniacal with his smelling salt application. the fact that i had regained consciousness did not deter him in the slightest from constantly waving the ammonia under my nose. being of island heritage dad then jumped on the phone to call everyone he knew who offered a different 'cure'. i guess dad figured better to be safe than sorry and he tried them all.
i was given tea to drink... all i really know for sure is that it wasn't red rose. i am not really sure what was in the cup and it's likely best that i didn't know. i do remember my dad frying flour and feeding that to me. yes, you read that right... fried flour!! no i have no idea how you do that, i can only tell you that as far as taste sensations go... i encourage you all to give it a miss!!
trust me, the lure of mystery bush tea and fried flour is enough to encourage me to faint in my room... or should i not make it, get my azz in there before they find me!!
well this morning the walk down the hall took longer than usual. i had my hands out to help me find my way and i stumbled along as though i were drunk... but i made it. i fell on my bed and was instantly overwhelmed with an escalating body temperature, the sweats and ringing in my ears. i was like that for quite a while. fun? not so much. but eventually things calmed down. i thought about my half a shake still on the kitchen table and how much i would have liked to finish it.
then i thought about how far away the kitchen was and how i wasn't entirely sure i wouldn't pass out if i tried it again. so instead i decided to stay where i was and hopefully sleep it off. did i? i can't say for sure. i am at work but i definately don't feel right. i will consider it a victory to get through my shift without hitting the floor.
only 4 hours to go!! 3 if my client cancels.
with the limited mobility i didn't expect much out of my dead's. i mean first and foremost i had to bend my sore legs enough to get close enough to the bar to pick it up in the first place. well suprise, suprise... if i didn't manage to set a new personal best on back day too.
so by the time i slid into my long johns and my bike leathers my mobility issues had spread from my legs and into my back as well. thankfully the rain stopped and the roads dried up some on my way in. so what could have been a sh!tty ride, turned out to be... not that bad. i was however pretty dayummm cold by the time i got there.
maybe i should have re-thought my hip hop dance class. but i thought that the hippin' and the hoppin' might help to loosen up my legs and my back. clearly i was wrong, i was so very wrong. i left dance class with a painful gait. had i been a horse.. i'm sure i would have been taken out behind the barn and shot!
that is not where the story ends though. i slept fitfully. i imaging because i couldn't find a comfortable position. i woke up very hungry at 3:00 a.m. i figured i could have a shake and get back in bed, get up at 5:30 a.m and still make it in to work on time.
partway through my shake i was over come with the urge to faint. i put my head down on the table and willed the feeling to pass. when that didn't work it was on to plan b, get my azz back to bed before i passed out.
i couldn't have either of the parental units find me sprawled out on the floor. that has happened once before and it wasn't pretty. mom lost her mind. dad became somewhat maniacal with his smelling salt application. the fact that i had regained consciousness did not deter him in the slightest from constantly waving the ammonia under my nose. being of island heritage dad then jumped on the phone to call everyone he knew who offered a different 'cure'. i guess dad figured better to be safe than sorry and he tried them all.
i was given tea to drink... all i really know for sure is that it wasn't red rose. i am not really sure what was in the cup and it's likely best that i didn't know. i do remember my dad frying flour and feeding that to me. yes, you read that right... fried flour!! no i have no idea how you do that, i can only tell you that as far as taste sensations go... i encourage you all to give it a miss!!
trust me, the lure of mystery bush tea and fried flour is enough to encourage me to faint in my room... or should i not make it, get my azz in there before they find me!!
well this morning the walk down the hall took longer than usual. i had my hands out to help me find my way and i stumbled along as though i were drunk... but i made it. i fell on my bed and was instantly overwhelmed with an escalating body temperature, the sweats and ringing in my ears. i was like that for quite a while. fun? not so much. but eventually things calmed down. i thought about my half a shake still on the kitchen table and how much i would have liked to finish it.
then i thought about how far away the kitchen was and how i wasn't entirely sure i wouldn't pass out if i tried it again. so instead i decided to stay where i was and hopefully sleep it off. did i? i can't say for sure. i am at work but i definately don't feel right. i will consider it a victory to get through my shift without hitting the floor.
only 4 hours to go!! 3 if my client cancels.
Saturday, October 28, 2006
its been a long time
so its been well over two weeks since my last post. and is it me or did the beginning just sound a bit like a confession?
first of all the things that are different:
1. i am happy to report that the extreme overtime situation at work, seems to have died down for a while.
2. my early morning client went on a business trip and i got to sleep in a couple days this week. i hope he gets the job and has to leave the country almost immediately.
3. my face has lost some of its puffiness so it looks like i may have dropped a few.
4. the stupid members at the gym who set me off, have since learned to leave me alone.
5. and the best news... i'm sleeping again.
of course for everything that is different much still stays the same. unless buddy boy gets hired as i mentioned earlier i still will have the a.m. client to work with. he comes back tuesday and thursday for the last two sessions he has paid for to date. then i will take the following week off, as that is the week im heading to miami for the NPC nationals. if he doesn't get the job and insists on finishing his 36 sessions, then i will take two weeks off after every 10 sessions. the gym has no interest in making any changes to my schedule, so i have to do what i can to limit the load on my own.
i still hate, dispise, grossly dislike, abhor and a few other good words the job that fills the balance of my day. well i had spoken at length with the woman from the agency that placed me, in the hopes that she might have other options for me. i have yet to hear from her. someone else was fairly confident there might be a positioning opening up someplace closer to home, but i haven't heard recently if that would be happening anytime soon. so the other day i started circling the industry classifieds. maybe i will find something... keep your fingers crossed.
i was taking naturopathic products to help me relax and sleep. i basically took them for a little over a week. when i stopped being wound up and started to sleep better on my own i started experimenting on going without them. so far i seem to be doing good on my own. i've never been one to rely on medication anyway.
oh i almost forgot hip hop dance classes have started back up again.%
first of all the things that are different:
1. i am happy to report that the extreme overtime situation at work, seems to have died down for a while.
2. my early morning client went on a business trip and i got to sleep in a couple days this week. i hope he gets the job and has to leave the country almost immediately.
3. my face has lost some of its puffiness so it looks like i may have dropped a few.
4. the stupid members at the gym who set me off, have since learned to leave me alone.
5. and the best news... i'm sleeping again.
of course for everything that is different much still stays the same. unless buddy boy gets hired as i mentioned earlier i still will have the a.m. client to work with. he comes back tuesday and thursday for the last two sessions he has paid for to date. then i will take the following week off, as that is the week im heading to miami for the NPC nationals. if he doesn't get the job and insists on finishing his 36 sessions, then i will take two weeks off after every 10 sessions. the gym has no interest in making any changes to my schedule, so i have to do what i can to limit the load on my own.
i still hate, dispise, grossly dislike, abhor and a few other good words the job that fills the balance of my day. well i had spoken at length with the woman from the agency that placed me, in the hopes that she might have other options for me. i have yet to hear from her. someone else was fairly confident there might be a positioning opening up someplace closer to home, but i haven't heard recently if that would be happening anytime soon. so the other day i started circling the industry classifieds. maybe i will find something... keep your fingers crossed.
i was taking naturopathic products to help me relax and sleep. i basically took them for a little over a week. when i stopped being wound up and started to sleep better on my own i started experimenting on going without them. so far i seem to be doing good on my own. i've never been one to rely on medication anyway.
oh i almost forgot hip hop dance classes have started back up again.%
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
the slide continues
last night was another night of poor sleep... and todays workout sucked! i threw a few small fits... and ended up tapping out of cardio early.
i am not looking forward to the hours i will spend at work today.
i am not looking forward to the hours i will spend at work today.
Monday, October 16, 2006
hang on dorothy... kansas is about to go bye-bye
its been one hell of an interesting past few days. oh my friends where to begin? well I guess the most logical start point is back where I left off.
I saw george on Friday. george has been calling my diets for the past 6+ years. I went to see him because of my inability to control and/or correct my weight. I had been searching for information on the internet. I wanted to find out what to do, should you find yourself in the unfortunate position of having put on waaaay to much weight post show. I could find thousand upon thousands of articles that tell you why you shouldn’t do it, but nothing to tell you how to handle it once the damage was already done.
I told george how I ate like a 6 year old the entire two weeks, (I was not allowed to train), post show. and how I then went back into full diet mode to try to get back into show shape for my photo shoot. after 5 weeks of hard dieting the 6 year old returned and I ate pretty much like that until I started with Jennifer. I told him how I was currently 33lbs over my contest weight and no matter what I tried; dropping calories, upping cardio… none of it had any affect whatsoever.
the condition I was in, was of great concern to george. he has known me for over 6 years and said that he has never seen me like that before. I had a certain wild-eyed panicked stricken look about me. I guess the good thing about that was that it helped george see that my concerns were genuine and causing me a great deal of stress. it is that stress that is keeping me from making any changes to my physique regardless of how and what I try.
so george has a bevy of ideas to try. the first of which is getting me to calm da fawk down before I implode.
so what about Jennifer? that my friends is a decision to be made later.
I didn’t sleep very well satuday night and I was in no condition to get up and go to work on Sunday morning… but I did. and maybe that’s part of what happened. a couple of members got it into their heads that they wanted to discuss with me, the supplement program of my ex-training partner. well I’m sure you can appreciate that this was not a conversation I intended to have and I told them that straight up. they however had every intention of discussing it… and to discuss it with me no less. well I work there so my reactions to member comments have to be tempered and I was doing my level best to do that. but I am a giant bundle of nerves without provocation. to add insult to injury they decided to compare her physique to mine. the long and the short of it, I tried to make a joke ‘what are ya callin me small?? dude… you never tell a bodybuilder that they are small.’
well these two members are real mensa giants and they just kept pushing till I couldn’t take it anymore.. well I couldn’t hit either of them I chose to slam my hand down onto the counter top pretty much as hard as I could. hard enough to cause the cash register to fly open all by itself, hard enough to crush the ring that I wear on my hand. I was literally shaking at this point I was that angry.
I decided to cancel my afternoon client and speed racer and I took our bikes out for a ride.
I am glad of two things yesterday… one that speed racer was free to go riding and two that jade started up on the first try. im sure had she decided to be finicky and difficult I would have ended up in my backyard in the fetal position screaming into my helmet.
I saw george on Friday. george has been calling my diets for the past 6+ years. I went to see him because of my inability to control and/or correct my weight. I had been searching for information on the internet. I wanted to find out what to do, should you find yourself in the unfortunate position of having put on waaaay to much weight post show. I could find thousand upon thousands of articles that tell you why you shouldn’t do it, but nothing to tell you how to handle it once the damage was already done.
I told george how I ate like a 6 year old the entire two weeks, (I was not allowed to train), post show. and how I then went back into full diet mode to try to get back into show shape for my photo shoot. after 5 weeks of hard dieting the 6 year old returned and I ate pretty much like that until I started with Jennifer. I told him how I was currently 33lbs over my contest weight and no matter what I tried; dropping calories, upping cardio… none of it had any affect whatsoever.
the condition I was in, was of great concern to george. he has known me for over 6 years and said that he has never seen me like that before. I had a certain wild-eyed panicked stricken look about me. I guess the good thing about that was that it helped george see that my concerns were genuine and causing me a great deal of stress. it is that stress that is keeping me from making any changes to my physique regardless of how and what I try.
so george has a bevy of ideas to try. the first of which is getting me to calm da fawk down before I implode.
so what about Jennifer? that my friends is a decision to be made later.
I didn’t sleep very well satuday night and I was in no condition to get up and go to work on Sunday morning… but I did. and maybe that’s part of what happened. a couple of members got it into their heads that they wanted to discuss with me, the supplement program of my ex-training partner. well I’m sure you can appreciate that this was not a conversation I intended to have and I told them that straight up. they however had every intention of discussing it… and to discuss it with me no less. well I work there so my reactions to member comments have to be tempered and I was doing my level best to do that. but I am a giant bundle of nerves without provocation. to add insult to injury they decided to compare her physique to mine. the long and the short of it, I tried to make a joke ‘what are ya callin me small?? dude… you never tell a bodybuilder that they are small.’
well these two members are real mensa giants and they just kept pushing till I couldn’t take it anymore.. well I couldn’t hit either of them I chose to slam my hand down onto the counter top pretty much as hard as I could. hard enough to cause the cash register to fly open all by itself, hard enough to crush the ring that I wear on my hand. I was literally shaking at this point I was that angry.
I decided to cancel my afternoon client and speed racer and I took our bikes out for a ride.
I am glad of two things yesterday… one that speed racer was free to go riding and two that jade started up on the first try. im sure had she decided to be finicky and difficult I would have ended up in my backyard in the fetal position screaming into my helmet.
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
the more things change...
the more they stay the same.
i cannot get the scale to move. this morning i cut off more calories. i have now cut a total of 800 calories off this bulking plan. why won't the scale move? why am i still 33lbs over contest weight??
i understand that stress factors into it... but with less calories going in, something should give.
so whats the new plan? i'm going to book an appointment to see george, the guy who has been doing my diet for the past 6 years. i want him to show me where the error is in this current plan.
and what about jennifer? well... i still haven't addressed my posing questions. partially because right now it's too fawking depressing to look as my fat azz in my posing suit. hopefully i can start to make some positive changes with my weight and then i can fix the posing. maybe one more month.
i cannot get the scale to move. this morning i cut off more calories. i have now cut a total of 800 calories off this bulking plan. why won't the scale move? why am i still 33lbs over contest weight??
i understand that stress factors into it... but with less calories going in, something should give.
so whats the new plan? i'm going to book an appointment to see george, the guy who has been doing my diet for the past 6 years. i want him to show me where the error is in this current plan.
and what about jennifer? well... i still haven't addressed my posing questions. partially because right now it's too fawking depressing to look as my fat azz in my posing suit. hopefully i can start to make some positive changes with my weight and then i can fix the posing. maybe one more month.
Sunday, October 08, 2006
getting caught up
time to catch you up on the going's on in my life... or the lack thereof, depending upon whom you talk to.
it's sunday and i write this in the first hour of my gym shift. it's one of my worst performances on record. i am dead on my feet, i don't think i mailed in a shift this badly in the midst of show prep.
so what has me so tired and devoid of energy? simply i'm not sleeping. those of you who know are likely to give me sh!t. you will reiterate the importance of rest and subsequently growth. i will of course agree with you... however, there are two variables in my life that i can not seem to control; the length of my work day and my ability to shut my brain off and fall asleep. the longer my work day the more active my brain and the less i sleep.
i recently slept through my alarm and i missed half of a training appointment. i don't remember if i mentioned it but i now have a client to train for 36 sessions, tuesday and thursday mornings at 5:30 am. i used to sleep in on my three off days. now i can only sleep in on saturdays. since i've slept through that alarm i've been scared of sleeping through others. i'm afraid to sleep deeply and even more afraid to nap.
training throughout all of this nonsense has been amazing. i am moving way more poundage than ever before. in fact my big three total now sits at 655lbs (based on a 5-8 rep range).
the only downside is the scale. it has leapt to the right and it refuses to budge. i've talked over my weight dilemma with a variety of people because frankly it's really beginning to freak me out. 'coach jen' says not to worry about the added weight right now. she figures that my work schedule and lack of rest have me holding water, (which is one of the bodies stress responses). my boss who does my show prep training had this to say, and i will try to capture all of the eloquence of his statement. "you better quit that sh!t right now... see george.. do whatever it is you have to do... but fix that right now!!". one of my friends from the boards is currently 50lbs over her show weight and fails to see my problem. when i spelled it out for her she noted, "thats the problem with being natty".
well i'm not comfortable at this weight. and i sure as fawk don't want to have to drop 30+ lbs trying to get into show shape. so i've been hacking calories off of my diet plan. i've cut 600 calories off per day and i am currently doing 30 minutes of cardio per training day. my plan, and i do have one, is to be a respectable 155 lbs by the time i go to miami. once i stabilize my weight i will attempt to cut back to off season maintenance cardio. if i can't maintain my wieght with 20 mins of cardio i will have no other recourse but to shave off some more calories.
bodybuilding is a continuous learning process. it's about finding our how your body reacts so you can effectively maninipulate it to promote change.
and of course about being the biggest and the best LOL
it's sunday and i write this in the first hour of my gym shift. it's one of my worst performances on record. i am dead on my feet, i don't think i mailed in a shift this badly in the midst of show prep.
so what has me so tired and devoid of energy? simply i'm not sleeping. those of you who know are likely to give me sh!t. you will reiterate the importance of rest and subsequently growth. i will of course agree with you... however, there are two variables in my life that i can not seem to control; the length of my work day and my ability to shut my brain off and fall asleep. the longer my work day the more active my brain and the less i sleep.
i recently slept through my alarm and i missed half of a training appointment. i don't remember if i mentioned it but i now have a client to train for 36 sessions, tuesday and thursday mornings at 5:30 am. i used to sleep in on my three off days. now i can only sleep in on saturdays. since i've slept through that alarm i've been scared of sleeping through others. i'm afraid to sleep deeply and even more afraid to nap.
training throughout all of this nonsense has been amazing. i am moving way more poundage than ever before. in fact my big three total now sits at 655lbs (based on a 5-8 rep range).
the only downside is the scale. it has leapt to the right and it refuses to budge. i've talked over my weight dilemma with a variety of people because frankly it's really beginning to freak me out. 'coach jen' says not to worry about the added weight right now. she figures that my work schedule and lack of rest have me holding water, (which is one of the bodies stress responses). my boss who does my show prep training had this to say, and i will try to capture all of the eloquence of his statement. "you better quit that sh!t right now... see george.. do whatever it is you have to do... but fix that right now!!". one of my friends from the boards is currently 50lbs over her show weight and fails to see my problem. when i spelled it out for her she noted, "thats the problem with being natty".
well i'm not comfortable at this weight. and i sure as fawk don't want to have to drop 30+ lbs trying to get into show shape. so i've been hacking calories off of my diet plan. i've cut 600 calories off per day and i am currently doing 30 minutes of cardio per training day. my plan, and i do have one, is to be a respectable 155 lbs by the time i go to miami. once i stabilize my weight i will attempt to cut back to off season maintenance cardio. if i can't maintain my wieght with 20 mins of cardio i will have no other recourse but to shave off some more calories.
bodybuilding is a continuous learning process. it's about finding our how your body reacts so you can effectively maninipulate it to promote change.
and of course about being the biggest and the best LOL
Saturday, September 30, 2006
there is no spoon
of late i've started to notice how live is actually a lot like the matrix trilogy... or maybe it's just my life? when the final movie came out alot of people were disgusted to find that it essentially ended exactly where the first one began.
i can see how as an audience we are frustrated by not having a story that was tidied up nicely. but i can see to that many of us live in circles. what was old, became new again. lifestyles put behind us are embraced again.
i live in my own circle. the more i change the more ultimately, i stay exactly the same. i've always lived a very 'safe' existance. now those of you who know of the years skating, skiing, alpine racing, snowboarding and now motorcycling riding... well you might feel the need to challenge that statement but trust me, it is true.
perhaps one of the many things that may have kept me from the upperechelon of rollerblading was my inability to step too far outside my box. i skated safe and in by doing so, i never really had the 'success' that i might have. in rollerblading fear breeds failure... or at the very least it can get you hurt! when i was racing my 'success' stalled when i was unable to 'push it' enough to get to the next level.
what about now? well there are those who believe that i am capable of far more than i have achieved thus far on the gym floor. that i can move much more weight than i give myself credit for. that may veryily well be true... it would be classic miche. even when i look like i am leaping far outside my box... it is a measured risk.
so if i myself cannot leave my past behind... then i can not be suprised when others can't leave their pasts behind either.
my friend in jersey is proud of me for many things, one of which is venturing outside of my box. i wonder though, am i really outside of it? or is it that i am just pushing the walls a little... so that the box itself is getting a little bigger?
i am not a religious lass... but i do hope that there is something in this universe that will protect us all from the choices we insist on reliving.
please be safe
i can see how as an audience we are frustrated by not having a story that was tidied up nicely. but i can see to that many of us live in circles. what was old, became new again. lifestyles put behind us are embraced again.
i live in my own circle. the more i change the more ultimately, i stay exactly the same. i've always lived a very 'safe' existance. now those of you who know of the years skating, skiing, alpine racing, snowboarding and now motorcycling riding... well you might feel the need to challenge that statement but trust me, it is true.
perhaps one of the many things that may have kept me from the upperechelon of rollerblading was my inability to step too far outside my box. i skated safe and in by doing so, i never really had the 'success' that i might have. in rollerblading fear breeds failure... or at the very least it can get you hurt! when i was racing my 'success' stalled when i was unable to 'push it' enough to get to the next level.
what about now? well there are those who believe that i am capable of far more than i have achieved thus far on the gym floor. that i can move much more weight than i give myself credit for. that may veryily well be true... it would be classic miche. even when i look like i am leaping far outside my box... it is a measured risk.
so if i myself cannot leave my past behind... then i can not be suprised when others can't leave their pasts behind either.
my friend in jersey is proud of me for many things, one of which is venturing outside of my box. i wonder though, am i really outside of it? or is it that i am just pushing the walls a little... so that the box itself is getting a little bigger?
i am not a religious lass... but i do hope that there is something in this universe that will protect us all from the choices we insist on reliving.
please be safe
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
oddly enough...
ya know when i was restricting my calories, cutting my carbs and/or removing them entirely i was not as b*tchy mcnasty as i am now. i'm having more calories than i ever have, carbs by the boat load and my mood is distinctly foul. the best i can come up with is that i was equally perturbed during show prep but since i wasn't getting the carbs and calories i needed i just didn't have the energy to do more than feel pissy. these days it is taking everything i have and then some to keep from slapping the taste out of somebody's mouth.
thankfully i have thursday and friday off of work. i was hoping to spend some time logging some more km's on jade but sadly mother nature looks like she has other plans.
thankfully i have thursday and friday off of work. i was hoping to spend some time logging some more km's on jade but sadly mother nature looks like she has other plans.
Monday, September 25, 2006
catching ya up
i went to a bodybuilding show this past weekend. i got to see ifbb pro autmn raby guest pose. due to the funky nature of this sport i rarely get the opportunity to see pro fbb’s pose. saturday was a nice change of pace. i found autmn to be very engaging, she really interacted with the crowd… i liked that. she crawled around on the stage more than i would have liked but… well ya can’t have everything.
ever since i missed the opportunity to meet and talk to lenda murray i have made more of a concentrated effort to meet and or talk to other fbb’s. so i went over to autumn, got a signed picture and told her that i enjoyed her performance. she was very nice, and she wrote that she couldn’t wait to see me up on stage. i told her that i was currently bulking for next year and as i walked away she wished me luck. i’ve met pro athletes who know what it means to be a pro and sadly i’ve met others that haven’t a clue.
much to my immediate displeasure i have been given a new client at the gym. i know what your thinking. but miche when do you have time to fit a new client into your schedule. well i don’t so i’m really not too impressed about this recent turn of events. but i guess i have to suck it up if i want to keep things comfy at the gym. the new client starts tomorrow. he has purchased 36 sessions, two times a week, tuesdays and thursdays at 5:30 a.m the time is non-negotiable. so for the next 5 months i will only be able to sleep in on saturdays. so much for fawkin growing.
i have to buy my plane ticket for miami today. i already have my ticket to the show, the 2006 npc nationals. and now i have two athletes to cheer for; elena seiple and andrea gahan. i will also be rooming with andrea, so that’s going to be both interesting, entertaining and a tad scary all at the same time.
ever since i missed the opportunity to meet and talk to lenda murray i have made more of a concentrated effort to meet and or talk to other fbb’s. so i went over to autumn, got a signed picture and told her that i enjoyed her performance. she was very nice, and she wrote that she couldn’t wait to see me up on stage. i told her that i was currently bulking for next year and as i walked away she wished me luck. i’ve met pro athletes who know what it means to be a pro and sadly i’ve met others that haven’t a clue.
much to my immediate displeasure i have been given a new client at the gym. i know what your thinking. but miche when do you have time to fit a new client into your schedule. well i don’t so i’m really not too impressed about this recent turn of events. but i guess i have to suck it up if i want to keep things comfy at the gym. the new client starts tomorrow. he has purchased 36 sessions, two times a week, tuesdays and thursdays at 5:30 a.m the time is non-negotiable. so for the next 5 months i will only be able to sleep in on saturdays. so much for fawkin growing.
i have to buy my plane ticket for miami today. i already have my ticket to the show, the 2006 npc nationals. and now i have two athletes to cheer for; elena seiple and andrea gahan. i will also be rooming with andrea, so that’s going to be both interesting, entertaining and a tad scary all at the same time.
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
on my mind
lately there is always so much on my mind. i wonder if its a good thing or a bad thing that i spend so much time alone. because lately i spend so much of it thinking. thinking would not be bad if the thinking resulted in action or decisions but currently it just seems to result in... yup you guessed it, more thinking.
the online training thing is not easy. it's open to interpretation and i often wonder if i am doing what i am supposed to be doing or if i misunderstood. on one hand training is training but on the other i really want to make the most of this arrangement, while i have it.
work is clearly becoming a negative situation. i spend too much of my day unhappy, coupled with less days in the gym i find i am more easily agitated.
i am still trying to work through that trust issue i mentioned a few posts back. so far things are going well but it is early and i guess they could go to sh!t as quickly as they seemed to have gotten better. i am also trying to decide how i am going to spend this weekend. and more importantly will i be able to live with myself whatever i decide to do?
one of my friends is leaving. it is a shame because we barely hung out, but she has been there for me, in ways that some other people haven't been. i will miss her, but she feels that its time for her to head back home. tomorrow her and i will go for lunch. i intend to pick up the tab, to thank her for all she has done.
like i can afford to lose anymore friends. bah!
the online training thing is not easy. it's open to interpretation and i often wonder if i am doing what i am supposed to be doing or if i misunderstood. on one hand training is training but on the other i really want to make the most of this arrangement, while i have it.
work is clearly becoming a negative situation. i spend too much of my day unhappy, coupled with less days in the gym i find i am more easily agitated.
i am still trying to work through that trust issue i mentioned a few posts back. so far things are going well but it is early and i guess they could go to sh!t as quickly as they seemed to have gotten better. i am also trying to decide how i am going to spend this weekend. and more importantly will i be able to live with myself whatever i decide to do?
one of my friends is leaving. it is a shame because we barely hung out, but she has been there for me, in ways that some other people haven't been. i will miss her, but she feels that its time for her to head back home. tomorrow her and i will go for lunch. i intend to pick up the tab, to thank her for all she has done.
like i can afford to lose anymore friends. bah!
Saturday, September 16, 2006
go speed racer
it's hard to get over the change that overcomes my friend when you add a few hundred cc's. she tends to show a more quiet and reserved exterior but get her on her bike and watch out!! she becomes animated to the enth power. she talks a bit louder, the gestures more emphatically, she figdets on the bike, she wriggles her legs on the pegs, she sticks her legs out to the side, when she is not on the bike she paces like a toddler that has to go potty and she makes these grandiose statements that crack me up. why? well because she is completely serious when she says them.
here are a few of my favourite speed racerisms:
once while trying to decide where to ride speed racer declared that we should 'just ride where the road takes us man', of course complete with the far and away hand gesture.
and today, again while trying to pick a direction to ride in she says 'we have all this...', a broad sweeping hand motion from her left to the right side of her body, '...and all of this', pointing to the restaurant directly behind her, 'but we dont have this'. i collapsed over my tank in a fit of giggles. i dont know what the fawk she was talking about but i've never seen anyone so serious.
here are a few of my favourite speed racerisms:
once while trying to decide where to ride speed racer declared that we should 'just ride where the road takes us man', of course complete with the far and away hand gesture.
and today, again while trying to pick a direction to ride in she says 'we have all this...', a broad sweeping hand motion from her left to the right side of her body, '...and all of this', pointing to the restaurant directly behind her, 'but we dont have this'. i collapsed over my tank in a fit of giggles. i dont know what the fawk she was talking about but i've never seen anyone so serious.
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