Interview with Strength Addicts

"If you get on this train in the beginning you have to stay till the end."

It's a saying that has stuck in my head for a long time. It's sort of my outlook on life. If you start something, you had better finish, see it through till the end.

And I'm not done yet, I am not finished, I am not at the end!

It's been a while since I have written, and as I mentioned on my last post, I have been so active on other social media sites that there just isn't enough time in the day! I have a feeling when I finally retire, that my days will be even more hectic than they are now!

I post many pictures on Instagram, its a fun site that is pictures, 15 second videos and short messages, usually viewed on a mobile device. I think of it like Facebook without all the drama!

A while ago I was contacted by the editor of a website called Strength Addicts (strengthaddicts.com). Christian liked my "look" and asked if I would consent to an interview. I had fun answering his questions, he doesn't  ask everyone the same thing, its tailored to the person and their look and division in Bodybuilding.


If you follow me on other sites (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Google+, YouTube), you may have seen this interview already, but I know some of you don't so I am sharing it here too!

Please take a few moments to read it and catch up on what I am doing, and how I look these days (along with the pictures here), I think you will be pleasantly surprised! 

Link to Interview with StrengthAddicts.com

A New Diet with Dr. Layne Norton

It’s been a while since I wrote, no I didn’t fall apart after the death of my father, and on the contrary, I am doing really well.  We had been preparing for his death for some time, it was not a surprise, and although that does not make it any easier, it brought closure to his constant treatments and pain.

I just happen to be really busy! I have a crazy hectic life. I work full time; have a husband and a son in college. Weekends are consumed with household duties, food preparation, laundry, etc. and I try to have some fun! To top it off, my job at the University is busiest in July, August and September.

Since 2009 I have dealt with four deaths of loved ones, and each time I take some time to reexamine my own life and it prompts me to make some changes.  The first, with my mother‘s death in 2009 is when I started to learn about proper nutrition and how much it affected my physique.  I’ve learned an awful lot since then, not just about food and nutrition, but about myself. I then lost my mother in law and a friend I took care of as she died of cancer, her husband had kicked her out of her home for being a burden to him.

After my father died, I thought about my life, at the age of 52 I really have so much to be thankful for, and I am very happy but pieces were just not quite fitting as nicely as I wanted them to.

I have a passion in my nutrition, health and weight training, I never feel going to the gym is a burden, in fact sometimes I go to bed earlier just to get the day over with so I can get up sooner and go train. I belong in the gym.

When I decided to switch to Women’s Physique, my trainer, Roy Ganju,  was more than excited; he too enjoys the challenge of sculpting my body as much as I do. He is very knowledgeable, patient and great fun to train with. Of all the trainers I have worked with, he is by far the best as far as I am concerned and he constantly reads to educate himself on the latest information regarding training. He has been successful in helping me to add muscle, change the shape of my body and we constantly strive to achieve the look I want. I wouldn’t train with anyone else!

Training is a huge piece of building a physique, and you should seriously consider a trainer if you are doing it on your own. If you live in the San Jose, California area, look up my trainer, you can see what a great job he has done. Contact Roy at his website or send him a friend request on Facebook.

What I realized was lacking was my experiences with food.

I have essentially been on a diet since 2009. Sure, when I’m not competing I am not as strict, but I have always been concerned with maintaining a really low bodyfat, yet I wanted to gain muscle. Not an easy task. Your body needs the proper nutrients and calories to add muscle, and if you want to stay lean you can’t be eating a ton of calories. I felt stuck.

When my mother died in 2009 I hired a nutritionist, it was my first step to learning about my diet. I had no thought of competing, I just wanted to take my physique to the next level, and I did, I did very quickly. We only had a few appointments, she taught me the basics and I was off running on my own.  After that I always did my own diet, learning what worked as I went along.

In 2011 I paid for a one time competition diet from a well known Pro Women’s Physique competitor, it worked like a charm and I stuck to it. The problem was, I pretty much stuck to it year round. When not competing I just added in a bit here and there, but for the most part stuck to the same boring foods over and over. I would go out with David and Cooper on occasion, but each time was rather stressful to me. I felt I couldn’t just eat what I wanted, and it turned what should be an enjoyable evening into a stressful one.

I never worked with a “diet coach”, I know many friends and competitors who do, but honestly I have questioned their credentials and their knowledge on more than one occasion. I also think we should learn ourselves, and these coaches would just tell their clients what to do and most would blindly do it, without asking why or questioning odd sounding instructions.

I know one competitor whose coach told her she couldn’t eat tomatoes. I asked her if she asked why. His response to her was “Most gals I know can’t lose fat till they cut out tomatoes”.

Right.  Run I say, run away from stuff like this.

Now if he had said something like “tomatoes are high in natural sugars and carbohydrates, so limit them” THAT might make some sense, but he didn’t.

I guess they will need to go to their coaches the rest of their lives if they don’t learn the “why”.

I am probably a pain in the ass to anyone I work with because I want to know why and why not. Some people like this and some don’t, if they can’t work with me then they need to tell me that.

After my father died, I decided I really wanted to focus on my nutrition, and add some muscle;  that meant getting a little bigger, I prepared myself.  I knew I was floundering and needed guidance; I needed to learn more so I took the plunge and contacted the person I feel has the most credible credentials and knowledge out in cyberspace.

Dr. Layne Norton

If you are not familiar with him, he is known for his expertise in Natural Bodybuilding (drug free). He has a BS in Biochemistry from Eckerd College with honors, a PhD in Nutritional Sciences with honors from the University of Illinois and his thesis title was “Leucine is a critical factor determining protein quantity and quality to initiate muscle protein synthesis”.

In other words, he knows what he is doing; it ain’t “Bro Science”

I contacted him and explained I wanted to add muscle, I am not trying to lose fat, and I want to add size. I think I may have corresponded with an assistant first, and they seemed to almost be interviewing me! I passed the test and then after more discussion we agreed on a nine month program. I chose nine months because that was a reasonable amount of time and would allow me to then work with him on a competition diet to compete again in late Spring of 2014.

I shake my head when I hear women say they “add muscle fast” or they “don’t want to get bulky” so they only do cardio. I bust my butt to add muscle, and when you compare me to the average fit chick, yes, I carry a lot. But when you compare me to the average Physique competitor, I am small.

Layne said I would gain some weight and wanted to make sure I was OK with that. Really no, I am not, but I am, it’s hard to explain. I know I need to, but it will be a mental struggle to “get fat”.  Just how fat and how big? David was a little scared at first; he already thinks I am very muscular. I asked Layne if five pounds of muscle might be a reasonable amount to gain in nine months.  I won’t quote him, but basically it’s not, not in his opinion for a woman who is well trained (not a newbie) and one who is not taking anabolics.  Sure, I could stick a bunch of drugs in my body and gain muscle that way, but then I wouldn’t need to work with Layne would I? I am not taking the easy way; I am taking the smart way. I also want to be able to look myself in the eye and maintain my self respect. I want to earn it.

Below is a comparison, the left just before I started with Layne and on the right 4 weeks later. My shoulders are rounder and lats wider, stomach is flatter and tighter.

So, if adding five pounds of lean mass will be difficult, and I can really only add a couple, the total weight gain should be quite minimal, about what your average “cookie eater”  gains at Christmas I suppose!

The diet is much more intense than I ever experienced before. In the past, it was easy; I ate the same thing over and over and over. I could prepare my meals with my eyes closed.

Now, now I can eat almost anything I want, as long as I meet my macros (and for those of you unfamiliar, that is the term for macro-nutrients: Carbohydrate, protein, fat and we add fiber in here too). Meeting means not under, and not over, it means right on target to the number of grams at every meal.

It’s been a challenge as it requires me to think! Ha ha ha. And I have choices! So many that I haven’t yet experienced all the food I have been missing for so long. Sometimes, my meal is so good; I go to the macro tracker on my phone and check it three and four times to ensure I created the meal correctly. Then I go over to my spreadsheet and double check that too (yes I have spreadsheets).

I check in with Layne every week, and he adjusts the diet ever so slightly, my calories have been inching up weekly, the food getting more and more, and my excitement is growing. I wait every Tuesday to hear what the rest of the week will bring me, how did I progress? Am I on track? It’s all so exciting to me.  

I want more fat! I love fat. I can eat chicken THIGH now. I love chicken thigh.

My glutes, which have always been rather prominent and round are even harder and rounder! The picture on the left was taken just before I started with Layne and the one on the right is 4 weeks later. A guy at work has even started calling me "fire hydrant butt". I thought it odd and asked him why and his response was "It's as hard as a fire hydrant". Hmmm... OK, I'll take it!

How do I feel? I feel free. I feel like a whole new world has opened for me. I never had an eating disorder, I never weighed less than 118 pounds (at a competition) and at my heaviest I was 142 pounds at the age of 38, but I developed an unhealthy attitude about my food. Sure, I still believe it is fuel, but it should be pleasurable fuel.  Eating the same thing day after day, fearing that one wrong food will wreak havoc in your body is not healthy, physically or mentally.

Layne embraces a term known as IIFYM (If It Fits Your Macros). That means, in a nutshell, meet the requirements as established and then don’t worry so much about how you do, just get there. Some take the winding road, and some take the highway, but they all arrive at the same destination, eventually.

I know many who “embrace” this a bit too enthusiastically, potato chips, candy and ice cream should be eaten only on occasion, making them fit into your macros on a daily basis will leave you hungry, most likely not meeting fiber or nutritional needs and your physique will not look as good as it should nor will it perform optimally. I have had two pieces of dark chocolate (9 grams each) and four glasses of wine (all planned and fit into the days macros).

How do I look? Really good! In fact, better than I have in ages. My muscles are full, I look healthy, my belly fat is gone and I have energy. Several people have asked when my competition is (and I am not dieting for one) and the other day, I walked into the kitchen naked and David looked at me and said “You look great! Isn’t there a competition you can enter soon?”

“No- I replied. I mean, yes, there is, but I will not, I have a plan, and I’m sticking to it.”

My Show

It's almost midnight and I wanted to make sure you all knew what the results were! I was in two categories, "open" which is anyone of a certain height range (mine was over 5' 2" and up to and including 5' 4"); and then masters 50 and over.


There are five trophies awarded in each category.  I did not place in the open category. I must say it was disappointing, but then I realized that I have a lot of balls to think at the age of 51 I can strut out there and beat those younger gals. And I still think I can, and I will, but it all depends on who shows up and what they are looking for. I have not given up at all.


Several women thought I was in the Women's Physique category and not Figure, so this is encouraging to me, that's the division I wanted to move to.  I didn't think I was ready  yet, but apparently everyone else does! This is making me think about the possibilities, which I am really too tired to write about tonight, I still have to shower and get all this make up off my face and body.


The open category had 14 women in it, a big class. 


In the Master's 50 and over I came in 1st place! I was a little unsure at first, there was one other woman who could have taken it, I think my glutes were better, and the delts of course. This was a smaller class, only four of us.


For most of the day and evening I had a great time, I met some fun and interesting women and gave a lot of advise about diet and what I ate through this all. I think I came in looking better than I ever have, honestly. More muscle, a bit more bodyfat, face wasn't drawn, and everything looked tight.


I could not have done this without the fantastic training from Roy Ganju, of BodyComp Personal Training Gym, without whom I wouldn't look the way I do today, and I am more pleased with my physique than I have ever been, ever! He was able to add size to my frame, especially my quads and I know he is as excited about changing my physique to be what I want it to be also, its like Michelangelo and one of his sculptures. He works on my physique until he feels it is perfect- I like that. Have you ever been to the Louvre and seen the Statue of David? I think I stood and stared for an hour, it is a true work of art. And the time and advise that I received from Monique Varela was priceless. These are two people you want on your team, the winning team.


Of course, I cannot neglect the two people who have endured my diet and funky road trip- constant bathroom-pit stop schedule, and all the other fun things that go along with my hobby; David and Cooper. They put up with a lot, you would not believe how much they do. 


Thank you all (and David- thank you for the flowers).


I am looking forward to plotting out my next escapade! I am thinking, maybe just practice a routine for Physique, and see how that plays out this summer. This might be where I fit now, the judges are now leaning towards a Figure look as opposed to the Bodybuilder look. I understand that they seem to be awarding a softer look in Figure, and I don't want a softer look. I like looking hard and ripped, so, maybe. Maybe Physique!


Sometimes disappointment opens your eyes to other opportunities that have been staring you in the face for the longest time. Now I am excited!

Hydrostatic Bodyfat Testing

I had hydrostatic bodyfat testing Wednesday at Courtside, they have Mike's mobile truck come every six months, so this was perfect since my membership officially ends at the end of April!


I had a good visit, saw a lot of the trainers I hadn't seen in a while, one wanted to know what I was competing in this time, Figure or Physique!


So, if you have been reading a while, you know I have been trying to gain muscle, and not get as lean as last competition when I was down to 2.5%, I didn't like the look and it wasn't healthy.


Although I am a little worried that I may not be just quite low enough, I am low, lower than most males ever get (and they get leaner than females). I am at 5.2%


To read all the details I will add links at the bottom here, I have done this three times so I don't want to go into all the details again. I will briefly explain it though. 


Mike has a big truck, like a huge taco truck, with no tacos. Inside is a changing room, scale, computer and a huge stainless steel tank half full of lukewarm water.


You need to get in the tank, weight belt on your hips and exhale all your air, then plunge underwater and keep pushing out all your air until you feel you shall die. No coming up for air until Mike bangs on the side of the tank.


Then you do it two more times. Ugh.


So my stats:


123 pounds (funny at Gold's at 5:00am I was 121)


Lean Body Mass:
Lean body mass percentage 94.75%
Weight of Lean body mass 116.55 pounds


Body Fat:
Body fat percentage 5.2%
Weight of body fat 6.45 pounds (it's all in my butt)


Mike remembered me, he had never tested a female as low as I was last time. When we were done, he said he thinks after the next week, and dropping water, I should look perfect. We had a good chat as I dried off and changed.


But the most significant detail is my increase in lean body mass. I have gained almost 2.5 POUNDS of lean mass in 7 months! Now that is significant for a natural (no steroids), trained female! Remember that you will see gains quickly in untrained athletes, just as a very sedentary person who starts an exercise regime will quickly lose weight the first few weeks.


I have been training a long time, in fact, you can see my bodyfat test done by Mike in June of 2010, almost two years ago and I weighed almost exactly the same, with 2 pounds less lean mass and 1 percent more bodyfat!


It takes a serious, rigorous weight training program, proper and adequate nutrition and supplementation and rest.


And, a good trainer. I owe all this to Roy Ganju, my trainer and owner of BodyComp Personal Training Gym. I have been training with him now for one year (I think we started April 29, but he knows, he has it written down on his charts). 


Roy took bodyfat measurements with his calipers in the afternoon, so we can compare them to the hydrostatic. As we discussed the results we were talking about my smileys that seem to have stayed longer than I want, and he mentioned that my glutes didn't shrink like they typically do when I lose so much fat, in fact, he said he thinks they got larger!  


Roy also wanted to know if any fellow competitors had seen me since October, I am much bigger, more muscular, he says I look completely different. I think he might be as excited as I am this time!


Below are the results you will get from Mike, and at the bottom is my history with him, all in his database. 

You can go to his website bodyfattest.com and check out his schedule to see when he might be in your area. If the schedule indicates Members Only, you need to be a member of that facility. If it doesn't, then anyone can do it! The fee is $49.00 for the first test and $39.00 thereafter. Courtside charged me $70.00!

My blog about my test in June 2010

My blog about my test in September 2011

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Carpe Diem

It's all coming together, my legs are getting bigger. You can see it in my shorts here, I can see it, everyone can see it. And the glutes? Huge in all their glory! 

Roy and I have been hammering and hammering on my legs, and now with this extra leg day added in, I am really getting excited!

Also, with the three days a week of calf exercises, my legs will soon catch up to my massive shoulders!

This is the kind of change that gets me so pumped up to seize the day "Carpe Diem"

What is so significant about this is I have been working on my legs for a couple years and really haven't seen a great deal of progress. I have great shoulders, they get wide and round; I have a wicked back, it gets wide and muscular; my glutes, get big and round; but the legs, they have always plagued me.

I am feeling so good about it all, I wake up in the middle of the night and think about training. I think about the food I will eat that will fuel me, and it encourages me to make better choices, what I eat immediately following training will make all the difference.

Wednesday night we met and it was quad day. We started with front squats, with the weight I left off with last week. These are down low, below parallel. Roy wanted to go heavier- "should I put on some more or just go for the big plates?" he asked. No need to ask again..."Big plates!!!" I said, so he stripped the bar and loaded on two 45 pound plates. I would try 10 reps of front squat with 135 pounds.

Roy said he wanted to video it but he was sure he should spot me instead. I banged out 10 without trouble, still maintaining a slow, steady tempo. I re-racked and told him I could have done 11. "Yeah I could tell!" he said.

We moved to lunges. Long, low and slow. You really haven't done lunges till you do them Roy's way. He wanted 4 sets of 15 on each leg. So that's a total of 120 lunges, 60 on each leg. The second set he says he wants to increase the dumbbells to 30 pounds, I say sure.

He sets down the dumbbells but they are 25 pounds with micro-weights, so they weigh 127.5 each. "What, you chickened out?" I ask. "That's all I need!" he says. "You want 30's? You got it!" He takes the others back and gives me two 30 pound dumbbells.

I do the next two sets and I do them well. I feel exhausted but elated at the same time. I am feeling powerful and triumphant.

Roy was excited too, I am not sure which one of us had more fun, me hammering the legs or him watching me progress and get bigger and stronger before his eyes.

My legs and glutes feel massive, we joke how soon I may need a cart behind me to carry the added weight, or a separate zip code just for my glutes.


I arrive home and Cooper and Adam are working on Adam's car in the garage, right where MyRedRocket (my car) lives. I park in the drive and give them the keys to move it when they are done.


At about 9:15 I am heading off to bed, I go to say goodnight and they are not there, I look down the drive and I see them with Adam's car, out in the street. I talk them out of their late night project and help push the car back up the long drive. It is difficult, the drive is slightly uphill, my legs are shot. So I guess this is my sled workout! 


We push it back into the garage and I tell them to leave it there, let MyRedRocket sleep outside tonight, she will be OK.


We need to push the car a bit more...all I can think of is how tired my legs are.

Soon, I may have to buy bigger shorts!

Hamstrings

As I explained last week, I am training hamstrings twice a week and quads twice a week. Volume is my friend and this seems to be the only way I can add size to these legs. Don't get me wrong, they look tremendously better than they used to, but still not where I want them. In fact, I have noticed that my legs have gotten much bigger! Yahoo!


But...not big enough. So I keep on keepin' on!

It's funny how so many women say they like my legs. I think what they actually like is the fact that I don't have saddle bags or cellulite, so that's all they notice, they neglect to notice that they are too thin for my shoulders, they are not in proportion. 

Above is the kneeling leg curl. This is one of the machines I am using on my own hamstring day, when I am not training with Roy. When I train hams with him on Mondays, right now we are doing Glute Ham Raise (lots and lots) and then single leg deadlifts. That's it, it has ensured I am sore all week long.

So on the hamstring day on my own I am using all the machines. I am using the lying leg curl, the seated leg curl and the kneeling leg curl (above). This should target the areas of the hamstring that Roy and I are not targeting on Mondays.

I see a lot of people using all of these machines incorrectly. They use momentum to swing the weights up. You should never use momentum as it defeats the purpose of the exercise. Everything should be controlled and smooth. 

On the lying leg curl I am using a 2/1 method- both legs to lift the weight (concentric movement) and one leg to lower the weight (eccentric movement). Making sure I keep the foot and calf relaxed so the effort comes from the hamstring. It is important to keep the weight low enough so the hips don't shoot up, thus using the glutes to pull up the weight.

The seated leg curl, I am going heavy. So heavy I really can only do 8 reps, I can tell I am too noisy, all the folks lined up on the stairmills turn to look in my direction, it's the grunting I know. 

The kneeling leg curl (above): I have struggled with this, my left hamstring is significantly weaker than the right, so the same weight on the right leg is easy while on the left is quite difficult. I do an extra set on the left to help build it up. Again, it is important to concentrate on the hamstring area, it is quite easy to get sloppy and use the glute and calf to pull up the weight. I go heavy with low reps as in all the hamstring exercises.

Last, I end with my friend the Glute Ham Raise (below), the most wonderful machine on earth. In this picture, it is not set up for me. I lower the front rollers all the way as low as they go (here they are as high as they go), and the back is pushed forward more for my height.

I do as many sets of 10 as I can, but after the curls I did before, it is hard, really hard. I can usually get 4 sets in on a good day.

The hams are responding and so are the quads, but I am a very, very demanding person.

The Pain and the Pleasure

I am smiling, but inside I am crying. Everything hurts, and that is not typical for me. I find it very interesting as I believe the order of my training split has really been the catalyst, and of course the fact that I have been off all week so I am training like a fiend! 

I switched up my split because I couldn't train with Roy on Monday, so I trained shoulders on my own in the afternoon after returning home from my father in laws house.

Tuesday I was at Courtside at 5:00 am and I trained calves and then ran through my kickboxing conditioning, all out, 100% effort. At 1:00 I trained with Roy and we trained quads. I was OK then, the split squats did not get the better of me. 

Wednesday I was at Courtside again at 5:00 am and did it all over again, the basketball courts are empty that early, I can run and box and the place is all mine. My abs were sore because I not only trained them with my conditioning on Tuesday, but I tried a machine on Monday afternoon that I had never used before. Brett was sitting on it as I sat resting in the squat rack between sets, we were talking and I laughed and said I had never used it, in fact I pretty much steer clear of machines. He told me to give it a try, it would cause me some pain. He was right.


At 4:30 pm I met Roy and we trained Hamstrings. My hamstrings and glutes were still sore from my hamstring training on Saturday, it was hard to go heavy. But I did, I failed at the end of my GHR but I killed the single leg barbell deadlifts, heavier than last week. These glutes will soon be their own person.

Thursday I was at Courtside at 5:00 am and trained back and biceps, then down to the basketball courts for conditioning again, but I couldn't go as long, my body ached all over and the heavy weight session wiped me out.

Friday it was Courtside again at 5:00 am for calves and conditioning, I took my time since I was still off work and I finished at 6:45 am. Then Roy at 12:00 pm for shoulders. 


Saturday I was at the gym at 6:00 am when they opened for leg day! And my glutes and hams were still sore from Wednesday, hmm that means they have been sore for a week non- stop right?  There would be no kickboxing class, in fact I would be going to Jerome's for dinner. I looked for a studio to do my conditioning, but every single room, plus the basketball court was full. Seems everyone decided to get fit on this one last day of the year.


Saturday night as I sat at dinner party on New Years Eve, I was massaging my very sore forearms, I guess from the rope training we did on Friday.


I got home at one in the morning, much later than I ever stay up but enjoyed myself at one of the best dinner parties I have ever attended! I think there were 23 of us, the youngest was 5 months and the oldest in their 80's. We sat for hours enjoying course after course (after all, most of the guests were French and the French know how to enjoy food!). Luckily I made sure to drink plenty of water and had two liters at dinner. I decided to sleep in and go to the gym whenever I woke, and unfortunately David had his cell phone by the bed and at 6:00 a.m. it ran low on batter power and an alarm sounded. Ugh...I couldn't go back to sleep, so decided it was about time for the gym! I went in, hit the back and biceps hard and went home after an hour an a half.


I am down three pounds and I think it's the cardio that I swapped for kickboxing style conditioning. Although I have been off all week, I haven't added any extra workouts in, although I have lingered longer that usual at the gym. I have been enjoying several good meals with the family so all I can attribute this to is the conditioning, I will definitely keep it up and just watch to make sure I don't drop much more right now, it's too early.

Rope Training

Roy surprised me today! Actually I think he surprised himself too. The big, long rope is always running down the center of the gym, I never really paid much attention to it, I figured we would get around to it when we did.

He changed the shoulder workout, we started with standing behind the neck barbell press, I warmed up then on to 65 pounds then right to 75 pounds and that's where we stayed, 8 reps, 5 sets.

Then seated dumbbell press at 35 pounds, 7 reps, I think we did 5 sets, maybe 6?

Then he asked about the rope, "did we use the rope recently?" "Um, no, I have never used the rope, or any rope for that matter."

A look came over his face..."never...used....the rope?"

"No" I explained I always wanted to use the sled, the chains, the ropes, all the fun stuff. I got to use the prowler with SC, but he never let me use chains, not quite sure why...

I told him that I have been having so much fun with everything else we have been doing, it slipped my mind. The smile on his face seemed to get a little smirky at that point. 

He looped the 40 foot, 2 inch diameter rope through the sled (that was already weighted with a  few 45 pound plates) and told me to grab one end and bring it together with the other, and hold one end in each hand like this:

I was supposed to do one minute on full blast and one minute rest, seems like nothing...well have you ever "done the rope?" ha ha, I bet not!

So he stood on the sled, stopwatch in hand and says "go" and I am supposed to undulate alternating arms like the fellow in the picture above. Big, strong movements, hmmm, it's  not working that well.

Then I am to switch to both arms together up, then down, using my legs and  my entire body to create giant waves of undulating rope.

My breathing is very labored, I am sweating, huffing and puffing, it's not over yet. Below is one of the Kardashian girls training with ropes. I suspect she does this about as often as she takes out the trash...in other words it was for the camera only.  If she did it regularly she wouldn't have such a well endowed rear end. 

Next I am supposed to swing one rope over the other and smack the ground, then swing it back over, and keep alternating, almost like "double dutch " jump rope, but it's slow going, let me tell you.

4 frigging sets....maybe it was 5???? I think the last time I was breathing this hard was my first kickboxing conditioning class!

At the fourth set Roy started laughing and said "oops, stop- that was 1 minute 20 seconds"...

WHAT???!! What the hell is the stopwatch for then??? 20 seconds extra is a lot with the ropes, let me tell you!

But I loved it, 

LOVED

EVERY 

MINUTE!

After I got home and ate, David and I had to go downtown to get a cheese slicer (long story you really don't want the details on), and we decided to go by the new cheese shop in downtown Los Gatos. We see Nick coming out, the owner and chef of Nick's on Main, one of my favorite restaurants. We stop to talk, he asks if I am competing (he knows we never come to the restaurant when I am on a diet) and I explain that I am in the "get big" stage, no diet, so we should see him soon. 

He looks me up and down and says "still training? You just finished now huh?" "Yes" I said and smiled. "Shoulder day, we used the ropes."

He could tell, my arms were pumped and full. I could feel the swelling starting....

Next Friday will not come soon enough!

Zucchini Lasagna (no pasta)

I LOVE lasagna! I usually make an eggplant lasagna but I got tired of the toughness that the eggplant sometimes has. Pasta is not going to be included so what to do?

Zucchini! I love it and it goes great with mushrooms, so that's what I did today and this is definitely a keeper!

Remember, cooking is an art, not a science so I am vague and don't typically measure, I will be giving approximations. Since I am in the off season and don't have to weigh everything out right now, it's OK.

This made two small lasagnas, I used two regular loaf pans. I ate about 1/4 of a pan myself...

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Pre-heat oven to 425

1 1/2 pounds extra lean ground turkey breast 

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp olive oil

1 red onion, chopped

3 cups sliced mushrooms (sliced thin, I used my Cuisinart)

1 4 ounce can tomato paste

1 28 ounce can tomato sauce (I used Pato Brand spicy Mexican sauce, but regular will do just fine).

Salt and pepper

1 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp Italian seasoning

4 large, slim zucchini, sliced thin (about 1/8 inch thick, I used my Cuisinart with the slicer attachment!)

1/2 cup part skim ricotta cheese

1 1/4 cup grated low fat mozzarella cheese (divided)

8 slices lite Jarlsberg cheese

Sauté the garlic and onion the olive oil in a deep skillet until lightly browned. 

Add the turkey and cook until the meat is cooked through, be sure to break up the large chunks. 

Add the mushrooms and let it cook until they have cooked down and the liquid is released. 

Then add the tomato sauce and paste, along with salt, pepper, Italian seasoning and oregano and simmer, stirring occasionally about 20-30 minutes till thickened.

Mix the ricotta cheese with 1 cup of the mozzarella and a dash more oregano in a small bowl. This will make the ricotta less sticky and easier to use.

In two loaf pans, place a layer of the sauce, then a layer of zucchini. 

Next add 1/4 of the ricotta/mozzarella cheese mixture then 2 slices of lite Jarlsberg (I have each slice here torn in half, so two slices on each loaf pan).

Repeat again to make two layers. 

End with a small sprinkling of mozzarella on each lasagna.

Cover with foil and bake one hour. Let sit 5 to 10 minutes, cut into serving pieces and serve.

This was so good! David and Cooper really wanted no part in it since it was missing pasta; however, Cooper said "If it had pasta it would be good!"

The funny thing about this was I was heading out to train with Roy. David was in the garage and I said "At 5:15 can you turn the oven on to 325 and put  my lasagna in? I will be home about 6:00."

At 6:00 I walk in the door and David said "Was it 425 at 5:15 or 515 at 4:25?". I wanted to cook it slow at 325, but he cooked it at 425, and it turned out great! The zucchini was cooked through and tender.

You may feel that spicy tomato sauce and Jarlsberg cheese seem like odd additions to a lasagna, but when cooking with lower fat foods, a bit more flavor is required. If beef were used this would have a whole different flavor and would be fine with only mozzarella cheese. Use your imagination, do what tastes good to you!

Printable Recipe

Change of Pace

I go through this every year, and you would think I would have it under control by now but I still do not. I am feeling Big with a capital "B". Yeah, I am not trying to make anyone feel bad, I know I am not BIG, but I am big for me. The funny thing is, I am trying to get bigger! It's just hard to accept it. I work so hard to get small, then I turn around and try to get big...go figure (no pun intended).

As you know, I am thinking of competing on Womens' Physique instead of Figure, but that means a lot more muscle, a lot more weight. Putting it on invariably causes some fat gain too, and realistically you don't want to maintain a stage ready physique year round, it's not practical or emotionally advised.

My weight went from 118 on October 1 up to a high of 133 and I have maintained at about 130, 131 for quite some time. I look pretty good but when I see photos of myself at competition time it's hard to accept my newer "softer" look, although I do really like the bigger arms , legs and butt. I guess it's just the soft belly I don't like. Get rid of that and I am a happy camper! 

I always change up my training, that includes what I do with Roy and on my own. As much as possible, I will keep with his current protocol, for instance, I train shoulders twice a week, but only once with Roy. The second day is on my own and I try to re-create what we did. Ideally I would increase weights or reps but sometimes it's just not possible (I need a spotter, physically or emotionally), so I stick to the same. I try to stick to the same for legs too. Back is always on my own, but I try to follow the protocol, if we are doing fewer reps on everything else, I will do the same for back.

What I do vary is my mornings when I am at the gym and not lifting, because I will train with him that evening or afternoon. For quite some time I was hitting the stairmill and then training abs, I would do this Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings since those are the days I train with Roy later, and I would also throw in stairmill on weekends too after lifting.

He and I both agree (as did SC) that abs really pop when you have super low bodyfat, so crunching away day after day isn't what will make a difference. Abs come with squats, deadlifts, pull ups, full body moves, not all those ab exercises everyone toils away at day after day. I do plenty of squats, believe me!

At my last competition I was encouraged to "bring up" my quads and calves, that means make them bigger, and I have been diligently working on them and my quads look tremendously better. We train my quads and hams so hard that some days I don't know who enjoys it more, me, or Roy! 

A couple weeks ago I stopped my stairmill and and abs. I changed it up to train my calves and do the same type of conditioning I learned from Jerome at kickboxing. 

So I train calves then hit the basketball court and recreate the conditioning routine that Jerome taught me. It includes running, jumping, squats, burpees, push ups, crunches, boxing, jump rope and whatever else I feel like throwing in. It's hard, much more difficult than any old stairmill!

We will see how it all goes, I don't want to create too much of a calorie deficit or I won't gain muscle, I have to find that sweet balance we are all looking for, and then hold on tight!