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

Posing Routine

These photos were all taken as I performed my posing routine at the night show or "finals" at my may 11, 2013 competition, I had a blast! I actually had a big cheeseburger with sweet potato fries and iced tea prior to this.....not sure what I enjoyed more, the food and drink or the performance!

You are not scored on your routine, it is purely for entertainment of the audience. The routines vary quite a bit, and usually they are a good indication of the personality of the performer.

Prior to the Women's Physique division, the only people who did a routine were BodyBuilders. You have seen the big guys up on stage, usually to some very loud, head banging rock and roll; or just the opposite:  very slow and flowing, but in my opinion, painfully boring music. 

Here is an example of a bodybuilders routine I like! (email subscribers will need to navigate to the blog link at the top of the page to view the videos).

I am not going to show you one I don't like, that would be silly. A posing routine is supposed to show off the physique,  the hard work that has been put into the building of each muscle and it's supposed to be entertaining. 

Mine was more dancing than posing, I think my physique showcased just fine! 

Below is a video that Sakura's mother took, my entrance is not shown, I was the only one who actually started from behind the curtain, so she wouldn't have known to video at the start of the music, but she got most of it! 

The division of Women's Physique brings competing to a whole new level. There is more required to develop larger muscles, and a leaner body, then the posing is strenuous and so important to how you can show off your physique, and then the routine! I love the routines.

Notice no shoes? I love the fact that this is all done in bare feet. My feet didn't hurt at the end of the night!

My First Women's Physique Competition

I did it! I competed in my first Women's Physique competition. I have been delaying writing this because I have so much to say, and so little time to say it! 

So I decided I need to do what I do in life everyday, and just jump right in! I have lots of pictures to share, and then I will write more each week about certain parts and events.

I must start with the fact that this was so different than Figure, words can barely describe it. Figure had become easy to me, it wasn't a challenge. Sure, I always had to work on my physique, try to look better each competition, but I knew what to expect each time, there was not much of a challenge.

This was a big challenge, the posing (real posing, not just "model" turns"), flexing, a routine to music. And it's odd, but I moved up in the hierarchy! Not something I intended to do, it just happens I guess.

Bikini is at the bottom, then Figure, Women's Physique and then Bodybuilding. Many women look at each as a step up, you add more muscle and move up the ranks. Now not everyone wants to move up, I have no desire to be a Bodybuilder or as big as one, and many women have no desire to be a Physique competitor, but they all know how much more work it takes to get there, they respect that.

Some of the women, women I have known from previous competitions, would look at me in awe and ask how it felt to be a Physique Competitor! There are not many of us you know! Below are pictures of my class. Class "A" which is up to and including 5' 6". No age group. I felt very proud to have come in 3rd, especially considering I am old enough to be the mother of most of the gals I am standing next to! 

Unlike Figure and Bikini, where they compare and also judge individually, they only line us up together, to compare us all, we never pose on our own, that is reserved for the posing routine at night, and it's purely for entertainment. 

The mandatory poses are Front Double Biceps, Side Chest, Back Double Biceps, Side Triceps, and Ab/ Thigh. The head judge calls them out and we pose, it's hard, you need to be sure everything is flexed and showing at it's best, it takes a great deal of practice. I had fun as we would pose I could see the other gals out of the corner of my eye, and we would each flex harder and harder. 

 You can see how much more muscle we all carry if you compared us to a Figure competitor. These gals here are ripped! (Oh! I'm one of them!)

My absolute favorite part was my posing routine a the evening show. I had so much fun performing it. I had the music mixed by Mastermindz Productions and the routine was choreographed by Michelle Brent. Michelle has been a Bodybuilder for 26 years and she has a protein cookie business too! Both my music and routine were upbeat, fun, and entertaining. I am not overly fond of slow routines, but super fast would be hard to perform in a depleted state, so I think I had a happy medium.

Here is a Youtube of my routine, crank up the music! (Email subscribers will need to navigate directly to the blog link at the top to view the video).

Here is a link to all my photos from my Facebook  album.  You do not need to have a Facebook account to view these. Click on the first picture to make them all larger and click on through. You will see my day as it progressed  Sakura (in a red suit) is in many of them.

If you have any questions, ask away! I have so much to tell to recount the fabulous time I had with my friend Sakura and other women I met and interacted with along the way. I hope to find some time to write in the near future  until then, enjoy the pictures! 

Bodybuilding, Motivation, Mind games

I frequently train twice in one day, I have to so I can fit everything in. I am doing everything within my power to add muscle, I sometimes feel I have become one of those lumbering, slow moving Bodybuilders who avoids fast movements for fear of burning up precious muscle.

It's an exaggeration, but there is some truth in it. I have changed, and I like what I see. I have almost eliminated all cardio, I ride a spin bike two times a week for 30 minutes, that's it, and it may go soon but it does help me keep my head together.

It's all about the head, the mind. 

I have always had a hard time adding the amount of muscle I want, not compared to your average woman, but compared to devoted and dedicated Bodybuilders. And, for the first time in my life, I am thinking I may actually be there. What do I mean "there"? 

I mean being a Bodybuilder.

For years I have laughed and said I was not a Bodybuilder, not that I find anything wrong with them, but there is a difference between a Bodybuilder and a Figure Competitor.  I am no longer a Figure Competitor, that's part of my past, I am moving onto Women's Physique. It's a whole new game for me. I find though, that I am training like a Bodybuilder, I have the mindset of one now.

And I love it.

Having been on both sides of the fence, and only on "this" side for a short time, I can now see the difference. I used to train to sculpt and add a bit of size and lean out. Now I train to get as big and muscular as I possibly can. Oh I won't get huge,  I cannot because I am drug free, but I can get bigger, and I look forward to it! 

I look around at other women in the gym now, and I realize that I am one of the biggest, the most muscular. I am no longer "on the fringe". I look more like a Bodybuilder than a Figure Competitor. I always felt that I had to differentiate between the two for some reason, especially when people asked me about it, almost like I was defending what I was doing. Everyone would say "are you a Bodybuilder?" and I would immediately say "No, I am a Figure Competitor"  and then try to educate them about the difference, I no longer do that. 

I am a Bodybuilder.

People seem to look down on Bodybuilders, like they are lacking in intelligence. Sure, there are plenty who are (just like every other profession or hobbyist) , but really, Bodybuilders are calculating, intelligent, motivated and focused individuals. More so than your average person. I think that the fact that Bodybuilders have an amazing and incredible drive that your average person lacks, makes them look like "freaks" to others.

Welcome to my freak show.

I guess I hadn't felt that I deserved to call myself a Bodybuilder yet, but I do now.

I realized that doing all that cardio year round was just counterproductive to all my hard lifting, it cancelled it all out. I have learned to eat enough to grow, yet not so much that I gain too much bodyfat. I have learned to lift heavy, really heavy and concentrate. I have learned to keep myself motivated while I am in the gym, so my mind is present and concentrating on the task at that time. I think only about lifting weights when I am there, nothing else.

Concentration is paramount to my success. I have to get my head in the space, the right space, or I will not be successful. Motivation and internal drive, its something that a Bodybuilder must have, every single day. 

I think about my training all the time, in fact during most of my waking hours, and it's odd to me. I am not planning a career in this, but I have such a passion for it that everything I do is planned around it. My food and the timing of what I eat is of the utmost importance. Oh I don't deprive myself of things I want, at least not right now when I am not in competition prep, but I still weigh (in my head) and consider everything before it goes in my mouth.  I plan my big simple carb meals after training, just to take advantage of that window for growth. If I want chocolate I will have it then, when my body can actually use it.

I know that most people find the mindset strange, and the whole sub-culture of the Bodybuilding world warped and perverted in a fascinating sort of way. But there are degrees of it, from a young and healthy woman who is trying to sculpt and create the body of her dreams; to a college athlete who is trying to better himself in his sport; to the gym rat who works for a couple competitions every year; to the hardcore, drug taking men and women who look freakishly big and vascular. 

They all need some kind of motivation and inner drive that sets them apart from their peers, something that pushes them to go the extra mile. While you are sleeping, we are building. While you are dining, we are building. While you are lounging watching TV, we are building.

The average person cannot do this, this is not an average endeavor. This takes a special person, a special drive.

The video below said that to me. It's full of huge, grotesquely over muscled Bodybuilding men, but you can see no matter what goes on, these men have a drive that is amazing. A drive that is motivating. A drive that is inspiring.

The Olympia

It would make sense that I watched the Olympia wouldn't it? The decisions the judges make determine the "look" of Figure for the upcoming year. Yes, it changes. You see they may want a "harder" look over a "softer" look sometimes or vice versa. 

What does that mean? "Hard" is tight muscularity, less bodyfat; while "soft" is not quite as tight looking, not as muscular and higher bodyfat. 

Personally, I don't care what the judges want or what they are looking for, I will not change the look I want. This is for me not them.

I like hard. Hard, tight, very muscular. Leave the soft to the bikini gals I say. That's the definition of "soft". 

Did you see the difference between the Figure gals and the Bikini? Striking in my opinion.

I still don't understand how they plan to make the Women's Physique division work, they only offer it in the Nationals. To compete in the Nationals you need to qualify at a local show. So if you qualify in a show for Figure, you would have to really pack it on to compete in Women's Physique since your qualification lasts only one to two years depending on the show.

Or do they award the harder more muscular women hoping they will want to move up to Women's Physique?

Well I looked online and what did I find out? No more Women's Bodybuilding! But the Womens' Physique will be at the local level in 2012.

Here is a link to John Lindsay Productions, the promoter or many of the shows in California. You can see the shows and schedules for yourself. 


Now, you can even see all of the rules and regulations, so you understand just what the judges are looking for. Of course, it is still very political and very subjective.

Now I need to think this all out. I may want to try my hand at this! It really is a sport for older women, I mean 30 and up. Leave the bikini to the young gals, they are not typically as successful in Figure or Bodybuilding, you need time to develop muscle.

This also means I may have to train more with Roy. Sometimes, it's not just wisdom that comes with age!


And now a video that I found hilarious. This was posted in a closed group I belong to on Facebook called Sisterhood of Iron, over 2000 women strong (literally).


We have all seen Sex In The City right? Well this is Flex and The City. I talk a lot about the "skinny" look and how unattractive I find it, well seems like I am not the only one who thinks this! Check out these women! Email subscribers will need to navigate directly to the blog to view the video.

Am I Becoming a Bodybuilder?

Am I becoming a bodybuilder? My body has changed, I am getting more muscular but I am trying to. 


I have never been curvy, I have always had a "boyish" figure, and that's fine with me, I wouldn't want to struggle with the womanly hips so many of my friends have. 


I really like the "athletic" look, lean, sleek, fast, natural and almost androgynous. I don't see many athletes with breast implants, they just get in the way and anyway, athletes are focused on the actual sport, not the look of the physique.


I would really like to start competing in Women's Physique though, and I just might be able to in a year. What's the difference?


Bodybuilding = women, big, big muscles, mandatory poses like the men, to show off the muscles, no shoes. It's losing popularity, people just don't want to get that big or see women that big. These are the women who make you take a double look, when I say they are big, I mean big! These are generally not thought of as particularly feminine looking women.  


Figure = women, muscular, yet feminine, "model" poses, basically standing around, posing looking pretty, mandatory 5 inch Lucite high heels (WTF?!) These women have muscles, and are pretty darn cut at competition time, but the ideal look is not big like a bodybuilder, in fact you receive a lower score if you are big and muscular, with a lot of muscle separation and vascularity. 


Women's Physique = women, not as big as bodybuilders, bigger than figure, no shoes (yay!), mandatory poses but not like men, "open hand". They do the model poses like Figure and "open hand" or more soft, fluid poses similar to the bodybuilders. You actually get marked down for getting too big and muscular in Women's Physique, such as a bodybuilder would get and if you are not big enough, you compete in Figure.




Womens' Physique is new this year, it has only been at the National Level, so I would need to qualify in Figure to be able to compete in Women's Physique at the National level. Makes it a a little daunting since the first woman to win her pro card this year is Dana Linn Bailey, and she looks awesome! But I am up for the challenge, she has the physique I strive for. I like the Women's Physique look best of all of them!


Bikini= we won't be discussing here, it's not relevant, although the competitions do include bikini. 



Although most people will tell you there is a hierarchy of status here, it really is what you want to compete in, what your body type is best for and how you want to look and present yourself. While some women may want to compete in bodybuilding, they might not ever get big enough to do so. And on the other hand, some are so big that they just won't ever place well in Figure, so sometimes it's not just about what the individual wants, it's what their body knows best!


And, some people just wanna wear the damn shoes! ha ha


What came first? Bodybuilding; Fitness; Figure; Bikini; Women's Physique. 


I was actually thinking about this not because of how I am looking but because I smelled pancakes. Yes indeed and they smelled good!


I was driving home from the gym one morning and went past "The Diner", and a wonderful aroma of freshly made pancakes wafted into my convertible car. I have never been a pancake fan, but I wanted to stop and get a stack right then and there.


I laughed wondering to myself if I was turning into a bodybuilder! You see, at every competition there are hours, and I mean hours of sitting around doing nothing. The men and women sit around, or stand and talk. They talk about a couple things:


How they look
How others look
What they will eat for lunch (or not for some) 
What they will eat for dinner (for all)
Food in general


That's about it!


And the men- all they talk about is pancakes, I am not sure why, but most of them plan to go to ihop immediately after and gorge on pancakes. Kinda odd to me, but to each his own.


I am planning on making some, after my competition. I will make yeast risen ones for Cooper, the batter is made the night before and is light and fluffy. He never gets out of bed until lunch time so he can have his when he gets up. 




David and I will have Bridge Creek Oatmeal Pancakes.



Bridge Creek Oatmeal Pancakes (from The Breakfast Book by Marion Cunningham)  


2 cups buttermilk 
2/3 cup Old Fashion Oats (not instant) 
1 large egg 
2 tablespoons brown sugar 
2 tablespoons oil  
1/3 cup all purpose flour 
1 cup whole wheat flour 
1 teaspoon baking soda 
1/2 teaspoon fine salt 


At least 6 hours before making the pancakes, mix the buttermilk and oats together in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate (overnight is fine).


Put the egg in a mixing bowl and beat well, then stir in the brown sugar and blend. Add the flours, baking soda, salt, oil, and the oatmeal- buttermilk mixture. Stir until thoroughly mixed.


Heat a heavy griddle or skillet until it is good an hot, then film with oil. Drop the batter by tablespoons (about 2 1/2 per pancake) onto the griddle and cook until lightly browned on each side. Makes about a dozen four inch pancakes. 


Then I will really be a bodybuilder!

Football and HGH

Football, it's big money for the United States. I am speaking of American Football.

So the long, long , drawn out lock-out is over, but it seems there is a little bit of tension surrounding one of the agreements.

HGH

Human Growth Hormone

Looks like the players have to be tested for this now. 

The new drug testing program includes provisions that all players will be tested for HGH at least once a year, and perhaps more. They may even be tested on game day.

This is a blood test, not the simple urine test they have been taking.

It's actually not a done deal, the players still want to have final approval on the testing method.

Last year it was initiated by Major League Baseball in the minors. Olympic athletes have been subject to this testing for 7 years now. 

I understand it is not a quick and easy test, the detection window can be as short as 24 hours, which means that the tests really need to be unannounced, something that the NFL hasn't been very good at adhering to with other testing.

It can take anywhere from 15 to 60 minutes of laying completely still to take the sample, as physical activity can skew the results. Any medications being taken can change them too.  Before last year, the test had never produced a positive result, and now since February, 2010 it has produced half a dozen. We are years away from a urine test. People are not really trusting this test.

This may sound like I am against it, and I certainly am not, I just understand why the players, and even clean players may be a little worried.

But in the amateur league here, the world of Fitness, Figure and Bodybuilding, I think there  are many people taking HGH. People who will never be rich and famous, no matter how far they go in this business.

Why?  Is it worth it?

HGH increases lean body mass and decreases body fat. Exactly what someone in a physique based sport wants. 

I wouldn't consider taking it, but someone once asked me to put myself in the shoes of a football player (or other professional athlete) who was making millions of dollars. If their performance suffered, their livelihood would too. 

Knowing that everyday I had to put my body through physical torture and pain, and would no doubt retire at a very young age because my body couldn't handle the job much longer, and this might help.

Would I do it then? I might, but I am not in their shoes or anywhere near their level. 

I am aware that people in the Bodybuilding world take it, for what? To look good? yes, I think so.

Pretty stupid, and vain. And why do you suppose there is no drug testing at most bodybuilding competitions?

I imagine that is because there would be too many positive tests.

I want to be a Bodybuilder Part 4

Yes, folks, the long awaited part 4!

It isn't quite as good as the last ones, I honestly thought that he would actually be on stage in part 4, but I guess that leaves us waiting for the next one.

The fellow who did this (or the gal) does know what they are talking about though, except that most people don't take the nuts away at the end....but I suppose it depends on your own physique!



I have included the others (parts 1, 2 and 3) in case you haven''t seen those, I suggest going in the correct order and not backward!

Part 1



Part 2



Part 3

Physique Changes

I am going to the gym after work three days a week now, to fit in the dreaded cardio. I don't have time in the morning, and while I still run my 300 stairs and jump rope 300 times at lunch, that is not quite enough to drop all the fat, it only take about 15 minutes so three days a week I am training three times a day, and the other days it's just twice.

I am only there 20 minutes, not hours like many others are. Darn it is crowded at night though and what a scene! People are there to socialize, check each other out, cruise, it's is a mad house and every machine is taken.

About a week ago I was feeling a little blue about everything, I go through that a few times as I get closer to a competition. Wondering why on earth I put myself through all this; why I make my family go through it all; why don't I just enjoy the gym, eat some good food and relax?

I talked to a friend, one who isn't competing this year and ask her what made her decide and tried to get a little advice. She asked me the same questions I ask myself, and she was straight up about it all. I was 7 weeks out, I have come this far just do it and then think about it.

She asked why I haven't ever gone to the Nationals or the USA's, I have qualified two years in a row, but I just don't think I am ready. I don't think I can compete with the other women I see in the NPC magazine. I deserve to according to the judges, but how would I do? My mind needs to be convinced before I would do that.

She is right of course. 7 weeks is nothing, it will be gone before I realize it. Then I can enjoy the time off for a short while or a long while, it's my decision.

So I changed into my running shorts, grabbed my jump rope and headed out in the cold, blustery wind, it was really, really cold (for California) and I didn't feel like going out in skimpy little Nike compression shorts, but I did.

I then had my lunch, finished work and drove to the gym for session three of the day, wanting to just go home and eat my soup.

The gym was packed, a nut house. I changed and climbed up on a stairmill, and started listening to a podcast that I had not yet finished from Sunday's cardio.

I then started looking around. I thought about myself and realized I do look quite good, better than most everyone I see there, with the exception of the woman in the pink tank but she was definitely not original parts if you know what I mean, refurbished from tip to toe. Nice looking but, just that look that isn't quite right, anywhere.

I looked over at the woman on the stairmill next to me and  she thought I had heard what she and her friend (standing on the ground in front of her had said), she looked a little alarmed. I pulled out my ear buds and told her I couldn't hear a thing, I had my sound up too loud, she laughed and was pleased.

Her friend said she liked my shirt, I thanked her and said I was about to take it off (I get really hot) so off it went. I get some disturbed looks at the gym when I do that with the afternoon/evening crowd, the morning folks are used to it. I do have a bra top on.

I finished up, went down to the locker room and that same woman was in there doing her hair and we have a conversation like this:

Woman: "I love that shirt, where did you get it?"
Me: turning around and showing her the back of my black t-shirt that says:

Good Girls Tone
Bad Girls Lift

"Thanks, I do too. I got it here, (company name is on the back) but they are out of business. I had a coach who told me I had to have it"
Woman: "You getting ready for a show?"
Me: "Yes, I have 7 weeks" (interesting she knew, most people have no clue about competing)
Woman: "Bodybuilding or Fitness?"
Me: "Figure"
Woman: "Well you look good."
Me: "Thanks, I am thinking this one, I will be 50 and then this will be the last. But who knows, I may end up doing July, then October, then next thing you know I am on a diet for a year again"
Woman: "50" You look good!"

Then as I left I started thinking "Bodybuilding or Fitness" ??? Have I gotten too muscular? I can't tell. She didn't think I was in Figure, she thought I was either big and bulky (bodybuilder) or tight and boxy (Fitness). I don't have a trainer to tell me, I only have myself and I see myself every single day, over and over.

Will the judges say I am too big? Wondering, I walked out, feeling good, I am glad I came. But still thinking, "am I too big now?"

What do you think?

Steroids

Today I was on the stairmill at the end of my workout, it was Saturday so I had time to walk for 30 minutes.I was next to a much younger woman, I see her on occasion, we talk only briefly, we are both very serious about our training, she looks great. She is obviously an athlete, a sleek gazelle like body. The first time I saw her on the stairmill she was going at such an amazingly fast pace for so long, when she finished I had to ask how long she had done it.

45 minutes. I mean she was pushing hard, and sweating, but not puffing, she does this quite a bit. I told her she was in amazing condition, she slowly looked me up and down and said "you're not in such bad shape yourself", we both smiled, laughed and have exchanged knowing smiles ever since.

She was there today before me, and there after me too.

A fellow stopped by to talk to me about my vacation, we stay in the same hotel each year, he at Christmas time for two weeks, me in February for one. At some point in our lives we must have stayed there at the same time, that's how I know him.

We were talking about the location, and the new restaurant at the hotel. I said that the chef was quite accommodating, willing to make any changes if we requested them, and some how I brought up the fact I ended up sitting on the beach drinking water and eating tuna out of a can. I believe I was telling him how I would get hungry in between meals, and am prepping for a competition so I really needed the protein.

He asked what I compete in, I said "Figure, it's sort of like Bodybuilding, but you don't get as big and muscular, you don't take all the steroids." Then I added, "well, actually lots of Figure gals take steroids too."

He looked at me and said "Are you sure you don't?"

I looked down and right in his eyes and said "If I did I would look a hell of a lot better than this!"

He said "You look pretty good to me now."

Conversations  like this happen on occasion, and it gets me thinking a bit.  I know that drugs are rampant in the industry, and those who tell you it is not either don't want to admit it or they are naive. Everyone does not take drugs, but many do, many want so desperately to have that freaky unobtainable body that they are willing to harm themselves. Some even get prescriptions, and then justify it by saying it is a necessity as their doctor prescribed it, well I have news for you, if it is on the banned list from the IOC (International Olympic Committee), they don't care who prescribed it or why, it is still banned.

Not all bodybuilders take drugs, but many do, women just don't have the testosterone that men do, so to get as big as a big bodybuilding man, they have to take drugs, simple as that.

Figure gals will take them for different reasons, not necessarily to get big, but those drugs are just as harmful and expensive.

I was pleased to listen to Erin Stern recently on Natural Bodybuilding Radio (a podcast  for drug free athletes) discuss how she is natural, and she won the 2010 Figure Olympia! It's the episode on 10/19/2010 and she discusses her training with Olympic lifts!

I actually feel good that people think I look like I do! That means they think I look unnaturally big, or muscular, just the look I have been working towards for years.

But, it's all in the eye of the beholder. Minutes later, as I was leaving the locker room, I ran into a woman I met recently, Marni. She said "You look great! You look so small!"

hmmm...two different opinions huh?

I thanked her and told her things are a little odd. My weight has plateaued, I am right about the same, but I can see the body fat is slowly melting away, and my arms? They are getting bigger! The muscles are full, really full even though I am restricting my starchy carbs a bit. The skin is tight, I feel good. Just take a look at those arms in the picture, it was taken at 6:00 p.m. and today was leg day way back at 6:00 a.m, so they aren't pumped full of blood from any heavy curls. (I guess it could have been the 5 sets of 10 deadlifts I did with 135 pounds), that was just the start of my morning, I know that's not heavy, but that was 50 reps, I am going for some volume right now!

I mentioned I have changed my training and my diet. The training has been a pretty significant change, the diet not so much, but enough that my body is changing, taking a different shape.

I may find that in 8 weeks I cannot compete, I won't have the look the judges want, but I may have the look I want, and that's all that matters.

Interesting times are ahead! I see a fork in the road, and each path looks inviting and filled with excitement, which one I end up taking will be as much a surprise to me as it will be to you.

Compliments

It's Sunday morning, one of my favorite days at the gym. I enjoy Saturday and Sunday because I don't have to rush to get to work, so as usual, I get to the gym as soon as they open and it's quiet, the weight room is pretty much mine and I can do everything I want, throw in some cardio, take time to chat with friends, or the gal in the cafe as I get my coffee.

I stick to a regular schedule all week long, with the exception of waking one hour later on weekends because the gym opens one hour later. This means I may stay up a half hour to one hour later too.

I am a firm believer in sleep, lots of it and regularly scheduled. It is as important as nutrition and weight training, one piece of the triad.

I trained shoulders today, they look pretty nice here in the picture don't they?  I am not flexing or posing, I am totally relaxed. Shoulder day is my favorite! 

I was really pushing hard, I can tell because people start to watch, I am sure I am making all sorts of painful sounding noises, but I cannot hear a thing, I have my music on way too loud.

As I gathered my things in the locker room a woman looked at me and said "You have a stunning physique". I thanked her and told her I work very hard at it.

So she asked what I do - what type of training and how often. I explained I train with weights, 7 days a week and I don't do much cardio.

She said she thought I looked like I lift weights, and asked if I was a bodybuilder. No, I explained I compete in Figure, and told her I was a poser!

She wasn't familiar with the sport, and that isn't unusual, most people aren't.

I hit a pose and laughed and said "That's what I do!" ha ha ha

We both had a laugh, she said "I don't usually comment on peoples physiques, but those arms, they are absolutely amazing!"

Again, I thanked her and explained I just trained shoulders, so they looked especially good at that moment.

Turns out she is no slouch herself, she is training for her first triathlon! She was in her suit and was going to swim for several miles (I can't recall how many), but I asked how long that would take her and she said a half hour.

Then she would go on a 27 mile bike ride. She said she still had 100 days left for training, her event is in Idaho.

I told her I ran a marathon once, when I was 40 and I would never do it again. I told her I was impressed with any woman who had the determination to tackle a triathlon.

That put everything into perspective for me. While I do believe I am an athlete, the sport I compete in is not athletic, it is physique based. I honestly don't think I have the passion for it that many of my peers do, It keeps me on track for weight management, keeps my body fat low and allows me to interact with others who have similar interests. 

I often consider  stopping, the competitions only, I love to weight train and would never consider limiting that part. In fact, I don't particularly like the look they want for Figure competitions, I much prefer a more androgynous, muscular physique. There is a new division in the NPC called Women's Physique that I am interested in, it's for more muscular women who don't want to look like bodybuilders, in fact, they will be marked down if they are over muscular, I am keeping my eye on this new division to see if I might fit in better there.

But  the culmination of all of my training? A walk in the park compared to her triathlon. Except maybe the fact that I have to do mine in 5 inch Lucite heels!

I wished her luck and went out to the cafe for a cup of coffee, thinking about how much bigger I want to grow my arms and quads.

I want to be a Bodybuilder

I want to be a Bodybuilder. Well, not really but this is funny. (Email readers will need to navigate directly to the blog to see these videos).

If you are a Bodybuilder or Figure competitor, no doubt you have seen this, it has been all over Facebook for weeks. But, there are some folks who don't get sucked into the social media websites and who may not be Bodybuilders or Figure competitors.

These two videos are so accurate it is hysterical. The person who created them is either a Bodybuilder or lives with one.

Are there any inaccuracies? A few, for instance, posing trunks may only cost $50.00 but a custom suit for a Figure competitor starts about $350.00 and goes way, way up. I have one, some people get a new one each show (yeah, I know, I just don't have the money to burn like that).

The suit I am wearing in the picture above? $380.00 and then, I decided I didn't like the first bottom that I had made, so  had a smaller one made and that set me back $160.00.

These are not swim suits, they are custom made to fit you very tightly, and show off your physique. The material is velvet with sparkles in the fabric, and then rhinestones set into the fabric, those stones don't pop off, and if they do, the person who made the suit shouldn't be in business.

I can pose in a swim suit and look like a different person in my competition suit, it does wonders!

The farting from the egg whites, ummm I don't believe I experience that.





This is even accurate about the $100.00 fee to the National Physique Committee (or other similar organization) just to be a member who can pay to enter a competition. Here is a picture of my 2011 membership envelope, just about ready to be mailed in.

The cost to do all this is crazy, and sometimes I wonder why I do it. Now, I realize, that I will never be a model, or a supplement spokesperson, or famous. That's not what motivates me, hell I am going to be 50 years old in April, I am thrilled just to look the way I do.

There are some women I know who do think they will be discovered doing this and then become famous, and I support them 100%, but it is like the poor kid from the projects who dreams of becoming an NBA star, it just doesn't happen to that many people.

For most of us, it is a hobby, and like most hobbies, it gets expensive.

This also brings up a lot of good points about the bad part of competing. You cannot go out and enjoy restaurant foods, you do have to go to bed early, get up early to train, or train late.

Pack your food everywhere you go, limit your foods at times to a very few things.

Pay $150.00 for a spray tan that turns you very dark for one day, pose nearly naked on stage (this doesn't bother me, or most people with a great physique though), stand around backstage and hours for hours and what do you get?

A plastic trophy..

But there are so many rewards, and that will definitely be another post!

Arnold

I got this book as a Christmas gift last year, I haven't finished reading it yet, there is a lot of information!

I like the way it is laid out, he has many pictures (mostly of himself naturally), talks you through the exercises and then has a section that covers each muscle group, so I can quickly flip through and pick out some things to incorporate into my written plan when I need to write it up every month.

It's important to vary your exercises, not only to keep the body guessing and work all the different muscles, but to keep from getting bored!

Something as simple as hand grip can make a difference, or the number of reps.

Here is my binder, I keep all my training logs here and can go back and see what I was doing (they don't all fit, I have all those on excel). I also record weight here too.

It's big, I carry it everywhere in the gym, but it has my Gymboss, mouthguard, cut up tube socks for kettlebell snatches, lifting straps, and some business cards...

In the last week I have tried two new things out of Arnolds book, and I am feeling both quite a bit.

For biceps, he talks about using an "arm blaster", he says it isolates the biceps and is a great tool, but rare in gyms. Well, guess what we have hanging on the wall at Courtside Club? An arm blaster! Here is Arnold using one:

The other trick for side delts is something called "Burns" after performing each set of lateral raises: Take very heavy dummbells and hold them out with totally straight arms about 10 inches from your thighs for as long as possible- but at least 30 seconds.

My biceps and shoulders were crying for days!

The Mind

We all face many challenges in our lives every single day. Some challenges are small and some are huge.  Some may seem bigger than they really are, because of how we view them.

I have noticed that many individuals involved in bodybuilding or Figure are very religious, I couldn't really figure out why, it always puzzled me, I mean I didn't all of a sudden become "born again" after I started competing....

Eventually I was able to piece it all together, it's really the power of the mind.

Huge sacrifices must be taken when competing in anything. Although Figure and Bodybuilding are sports based on physique and not athletic ability, the sacrifices are just as great.

The athlete must be willing to train at the expense of everything else, they need to view their training as essential to life as breathing, you just don't stop doing it.

They must adhere to the proper diet when they don't want to, there are times I come home and am nauseous as I try to eat, but I have to eat, eating immediately after training is a must, and it is very difficult if you have trained hard.

They must forgo late evenings out partying, when friends and family are all celebrating, it's not something they can always do with everyone else, just because Christmas comes once a year, if there is a completion soon, too bad, no celebration. 

The athlete must believe that they are successful, that they will win, that there is no other obvious choice, they are the one. They must believe in themselves to push themselves every single day.

Some need to believe in something higher than themselves to keep them going.

Do you think an Olympic athlete says to herself "I hope I win this gold medal"?, no, she says "I will win this gold medal!"

Everyday we talk ourselves out of our successes because we don't believe in our own abilities.

I wake up everyday, I tell myself I will have a great session at the gym, I look forward to it. I walk through the gym as though it exists only for me (and funny, some people there even tell me that! ha ha)


I set myself up to be successful.

Being a Figure competitor has not altered my beliefs, I am not religious. I think Arnold Swarzenegger was also one of the best bodybuilders in modern history, but I am not a Republican either.

Below is a video of Arnold talking about the power of the mind. It is long, 9 minutes, but it is worth watching.

If you are an email subscriber you will need to navigate to the blog to view the embedded video.