Gaining Muscle

You've seen these e-cards right? They make me laugh so much and this one makes me shake my head. So many women really believe this, and no matter how many times they hear that it's just not true, they are still convinced that women will easily get "bulky" by lifting weights.


I try, I try so hard. Gaining muscle is not easy, for anyone. I talk with women who say this same thing "I just want to tone, I don't want to get bulky" and what this really shows is their ignorance.

Women have to bust their butts, lift very heavy weights on a regular and consistent and long term basis;  and eat ample, healthy foods to gain muscle (lean body mass, not fat).

And I am not talking 20 pounds in a year, I am talking a few. To gain much more you need to be taking anabolic ergogenic aids such as anabolic steroids or growth hormone, women just don't have the same testosterone that men do so they cannot naturally grow like men!

I have been working at it for years, and I slowly and slowly grow, it's funny when I run into someone I haven't seen in a couple years, they are shocked at how I look. But it is a very gradual process, so if you see me on a regular basis you may not really notice the subtle changes. A few people with good eyes do. I remember Huong used to be able to tell if my weight was up or down by a pound! I would walk in to train and she would immediately tell.

SC never really said much, he always wanted me to get bigger. But he was a strength coach, he was all about lifting and did everything he could to get me to discontinue all forms of cardio- it's counterproductive.

Roy- he has a good eye but doesn't say too much about weight. He may comment if he thinks I am getting a bit heavy in the middle, but I seem to have gotten the off-season diet better dialed in so that is only a temporary issue if I indulge in any alcohol or simple carbs on a weekend, then it's gone in a week or so. It's the temporary bloat- you are what you eat, believe me!

He does tell me when one muscle may be slightly less developed than another, such as my delts which I am forever trying to grow, so he has a keen eye for the symmetry and I count on him to let me know about these things.

If you are a woman and are striving to look fit and healthy, weight training must be the core of your exercise regime. Get rid of the endless cardio, of course keep some in to burn calories, but that's all it does. It burns calories it does not sculpt your body.

And of course, the diet is a huge part of it all. You can work like a fiend in the gym, but if you are not eating properly and in moderation, you will never achieve the results you are looking for.

Success does not come to those who wish and pray, it comes to those who work hard day in and day out.

Success in the Gym

Why are some people successful in their fitness goals while others are not? I think there must be a test to determine this, and the test probably has nothing to do with fitness.

Think about yourself and how you handle life in general. How do you deal with problems, with surprises, with schedule changes? I think that the way you conduct yourself out of the gym will determine how you conduct yourself in the gym.

If you are someone who is afraid of venturing out to a new restaurant, afraid to eat something you have never tried; if you are someone who never likes to take a new “short cut” just to see what it looks like, and how it turns out; if you are someone who is reluctant to wear a different color or style clothing than usual because “people might stare”…..you probably won’t be very successful in the gym.

I am in the gym a lot, I watch people every day and I make up stories about all of these people in my head. My stories may or may not be correct, but those people are stuck with them aren’t they LOL!

I talk with people quite a bit and this usually occurs as we are on a cardio machine, somewhere I am not found for long extended periods of time. They typically ask me what I do to look the way I look. It’s not something that I can sum up in 20 to 30 minutes, but I try to give them a quick answer anyway, I find that usually they don’t  listen, not really, really listen, they hear what they want to hear.

I will tell them first get off the damn cardio equipment and lift weights, heavy weights, it needs to be difficult! If this were easy, everyone would look good wouldn’t they? They usually nod their head and ask more questions and say they will do just that.

But where do I see them day after day after day? Back on the cardio equipment. I think because it’s familiar and they are comfortable. They don’t like the “unfamiliar”.

I see two women on the stairmill a couple times a week; they set the thing for an hour! Now these are not competitors and don’t look like competitors. I am assuming they are women who want to lose the “jiggle” of their hips and thighs and maybe some of the belly fat. But they have been doing this for quite some time, and I haven’t seen any changes.  They climb on, walk at a slow pace for an hour and talk. I suspect they are a bit intimidated by the rest of the gym, by the weights. I also think they like things the way they always have been, they are "comfortable".


Today I saw a big tall guy, I love to watch him because he squats and squats low and heavy. Today I watched him as he just added plate after plate after plate, and he slowly lowered himself all the way down, and he wears black tights too… Last time I looked he had three 45 pound plates on each side, so that means he was squatting 315. I think I would like this guy.

Now if you are someone who loves to venture out to new restaurants, take new routes to old places, wear whatever the hell pleases you and, sometimes wear something wild just to get a rise out of others, then I bet you are very successful in the gym!

The mentality required is one of “can do”; confidence; lack of fear; need for excitement, zest for life; someone with a passion for living, a person who does not back down easily.

A successful person in the gym is typically someone who knows what they want, and are willing to do almost anything to get it.

What kind of person are you?

If you want to change how things are working in the gym, change your life outside of the gym first.

Fit Bodies for Better Beef

You read it right - Fit bodies get better beef! 


There is more to it than that, I think that being fit and physically aware makes you more in tune to people around you. Maybe that's just me, but I do think it's true.


I have seen so many people change after losing weight, adding lean mass, beginning to eat healthy. They feel better about themselves and when you feel good about yourself, you treat others better too.


Think about it. When you are sick, or tired you just want to be left alone. You don't want to talk to any one, see anyone, interact with anyone.


When you feel good, ALIVE, you walk around smiling, you exude spirit, you become part of the human race, and believe me the race is a fun one!


My life as a competitor has allowed me to meet so many interesting people and experience situations that I never would have before. Even grocery shopping becomes a great, fun adventure.


Fridays I get off work at 11:30 and drive straight out to train with Roy, then I always go grocery shopping and try to make something good for the guys. Usually I get all my food at Whole Foods (I do also shop at the Farmers Market on the weekend and receive a CSA delivery on Tuesdays), but David likes a certain baguette, and they only sell it at Lunardi's. So, after Whole Foods I headed out to get his baguette and a couple other things they didn't have at Whole Foods.


I was standing at the butcher counter and a female butcher came over to help me. I asked if they had turkey tenderloins and she shouted over her shoulder to another butcher and then told me they do. I walked over with her and said I probably didn't see them because the "ladies who lunch" were busy socializing in front of the poultry and even though I made myself into a contortionist, I couldn't see around them. 


We started talking about the turkey and she asked if it was for me, I responded positively and explained the diet, 7 more weeks till I could have a huge slab of prime rib or something tasty like I would be getting the boys. 


She was interested and started asking me all about what I do, she never heard of Figure and wanted to know all about it because she lifted and wanted to do something more with it. I then saw three butchers standing behind her, cutting meat and eavesdropping on us.


"What do you wear?" she asked and I explained the rhinestone bikini and heels, then one of the butchers came up and said it was Bodybuilding. "No, it is not the same." and I explained the difference.


"Show us your guns!" shouted one of the butchers. I put my purse in my cart, started to take of my jacket and said "Hell yeah, I'll show you my guns!" and I stripped down to my spaghetti strap tank over my gym clothes. I flexed my bicep.


"Let's see a lat spread!" Now there were the three male butchers and the one female all lined up a the counter. I stepped out away from the counter, turned around, spread my back and I hear "Damn look at that back! Look at those shoulders!"


I loved it, we all started laughing and talking at once. Then the female butcher took her jacket off and flexed her biceps, huge! I told her I was really, really impressed. She was smiling like there was no tomorrow. After we discussed it all for quite some time the guys stepped away and it was just the two women, she wanted to know how she could get started, I told her it was never too late, I started when I was 47. "When was that? Last month?!" one of the guys shouted. 


I told her I needed some Prime Rib steaks for my men, she walked over and said "I will get the best ones for them, the ones I would take home! They deserve it!"

I thanked her and said I would be back to check to her progress, and to buy more beef for the guys!


Do you have this much fun grocery shopping? If not, I suggest weight training, it will do you wonders!

Inspiration

We are all inspired by many different things, and what inspires me is seeing beautiful bodies. When I see others I know that I can improve and only get better.


Makes no difference whether the bodies are men or women, they both have their individual beauty.


We can all have beautiful bodies, but we need to make efforts to do so. Seeing other bodies that I find attractive helps to motivate me to be the best I can be.


Something I find interesting is that so many women feel the need to surgically alter their body, to turn it into something that it was not designed to be. I don't particularly care for the "barbie doll" look, yet so many women strive for that, I just don't get it. And don't get me started in on the "duck lips" I am seeing more and more of!


I love an athletic look, on both men and women, more of an androgynous look I suppose.


Who's inspiring me right now? Tim Howard. Makes me want to learn to play soccer- maybe I could play with him!

I have never liked the Bodybuilder look, and I never will. I know that sounds odd as people think that's my thing, but it's not. Take a look at this body, I would say perfection in every way (at least what I can see of it), I can't see the back!


Tim doesn't achieve this look with Bodybuilding, he is an Athlete. That should help steer you in the right direction, you need to train for the look you want.


So.....standing on a stairmill all day long will make you....skinny like a cardio queen. I cannot recommend this form of exercise (exclusively cardio) for anyone on earth, anyone. Unless of course you want to be skinny, emaciated, without muscle and sort of an anorexic look (unfortunately there are thousands of people who strive for this look, and all I can say is perhaps a psychologist can help in that department). 


Weight training only will make you look like a Bodybuilder (I won't say Jay Cutler because I am convinced his look is quite a bit more than weight training). You still need to incorporate some kind of "energy system" to burn excess calories and remove the subcutaneous fat. 


Power lifting....big and bulky. Strong, but big..I guess you can eat a lot huh?


You get the idea right?


To achieve an athletic body you need to vary your training with a combination of weights and conditioning. 

Another look...I will be working extra hard this week!

Long Hot Days

David said I look like I have a black eye. It's probably mascara and eyeliner smeared all over the place if you want to know the truth, that and my hair in my eyes. I am a mess!


Some days I really do want to rest, I want to go home and not rush to do all I do, and maybe just lay on the bed and read a bit. But luckily I have friends and strangers who say things to keep me motivated and I snap out of it quickly.


Today is Tuesday, it's about 7:30 pm, and the typical Tuesday goes like this:


Up at 4am, drink meal replacement, take supplements, check email, steal a glance at the sports page (of two newspapers). Arrive at the gym before they open at 5am. Weight train till 6:20, down my post training drink and more supplements, grab a coffee at the cafe and drive home fast, I need to be at work by 7:30.


Shower, put on make up, drink more coffee the whole time. Toss breakfast and two lunches into my car, drive to work and get there at 7:35.


My office is "connected" to another in that the heat and air is controlled by the other person. This person likes it hot. My office is 80 degrees every morning when I arrive. I start to sweat and turn the fan on the rest of the day. I am not joking. :(


Eat breakfast of chocolate waffles (yes they are diet food) at my desk while I check email. Work, meetings, yada, yada, yada. 


11:30 I change and grab my jump rope and ipod, and some cloth bags, it's CSA day. I jog to the Event Center, run up and down my stairs (300 up, 300 down, two at a time on the way up) and jump rope 300 times. It's hot, really hot, mid 80's I think. Being on top of a cement building seems to make the heat radiate off my body, that's OK, I take my shirt off and sweat away.


It seems to becoming popular, there are three people today and one guy who climbs the stairs backward, on his toes and hands....don't ask.


I grab my bags and jog to the Nutrition and Food Science Building and pick up my produce. Darn, no flowers today! I order flowers for my office and today they are out. :(


I start to walk back to the office, past the Event Center and a construction worker who has been there all summer in the courtyard says to me (as he walks in front of a semi truck, keeping students out of its path):


"I have never seen you walk!"


I laugh and tell him I walk all the time. Get back to the office at 12 noon and I get to eat! Good I am starving. 3 ounces brown rice, 4 ounces chicken breast, 2 cups vegetables (peppers and mushrooms) and supplements. I eat at my desk, working. You really don't want to see any of my keyboards....


More work, more meetings.


2:30, I am starving! I push it out another half hour since I cannot eat dinner as soon as I get home.


3:00: 4 ounces ground grass fed beef, tomatoes, pimiento peppers, arugula and fat free vinaigrette.


More work, more meetings. Sheesh!


5:00, leave for home, drive with the top down (of course!) and it's even hotter now, my car tells me it is now 86 degrees. The hot air blows in my hair and face. 


5:30 I am home. Do I really have to ? It's hot, I could probably skip it...No.


I change into the same damn clothes I have now worn twice already (this morning, lunch and now again). They are wet. I have to stop doing this, but they will only get wet again, so why put on clean ones? I will bring clean ones tomorrow when I train with Roy, I cannot subject anyone else to this wet mess. 


I grab a water, icy cold from the fridge and head out to the track across the street, the heat is radiating up making it hard to breathe.


Up the stadium stairs and down, up and down, then sprinting...6 times. I am breathing hard, the heat makes me go slower, but I am still doing it, I didn't quit. I jog home, then walk the last bit (where is my construction worker now?)


Make my dinner, still I am soaking wet, I only took my shoes off. I have 2 cups of vegetables (peppers, mushrooms, eggplant), 5 ounces tilapia, a hard cooked egg. Vinegar and Sriracha sauce. More supplements.


Make lunches for the next day, take my make up off, shower. 


Write, check email (this computer seems to suck a lot of my time huh?)


Make last meal. 1 cup egg whites and one cup mushrooms (I am a fungus gal for sure), a big glass of orange xtend, more supplements.


Sleepy time tea and off to bed to read a bit. 


My long hot day is gonna be a long hot night.


That's how Monday went and how Thursday will be also. Wednesday and Friday are a bit different since I train with Roy so things get a bit flip flopped. But I still have what seems to be a constant, never ending cycle of eating and training. 

Comments on my Physique

I write all the time about comments  others make about me and my look. I recently decided to keep a mental note of comments. Please don't get me wrong, I love it! I just don't understand what all the fuss is about though. To me, I look fit but normal. it seems though, by all the comments that I seem to generate, I appear to others far from "normal".


Saturday:


"You are a VERY strong woman!" (said by the wine maker pouring wine into my glass at a tasting in the Santa Cruz Mountains.)


Tuesday:


"Mom, you scare me! Every time I look at your arms I get frightened."  (My son's plastic surgeon as he is examining his finger in his office.)


Wednesday:


"Do you lift weights?" (Grocery clerk asks as she bags my purchase).

Friday:

"Are you a bodybuilder? You look great and work so hard! You look very feminine though......"(conversation with me and two women takes place at the coffee counter at the club at about 5:45 am, I am leaving, they are arriving.)

"When you eat that are there any carbs in there or just protein and vegetables?" (asked by co-worker who followed me into my office from kitchen after I heated my lunch at 10:00 am. I have to eat early to lift heavy at noon with Roy.)

"Great butt!!!!" (shouted out a car window from a woman leaving the high school parking lot across the street from my house, as I got out of my car in front of my house. I think she was a student.)

Saturday:

"Hey! Last time I saw you, you were getting ready for a competition!" (Guy shouting across lobby of gym to me at 6:00 am in the morning. I have been there everyday, where has he been?)


"You look like you spend an awful lot of time in the gym!" (man hosting a party I am attending). 


Sunday:


Random guy "You come in here everyday don't you?" 
Kristy - "yes" 
Random guy "How long are you here?" 
Kristy- "one hour on weekdays, and two hours on weekends"
(Guy I have never noticed before who walks up to me as I am sitting in the cafe having coffee, watching a tennis game after my Sunday shoulder workout.)


"Oh my god look at those arms!" (Girlfriend I haven't seen in a few weeks)


I get comments constantly, and I think it's odd because if you stand me up next to other Figure competitors, we all look like this! I guess the real novelty is you rarely see us walking around in public, at least I don't see many other women like me, even at my gym.  


It's unfortunate that the fit bodies are the minority, and the overweight or unfit are the norm, wouldn't it be better if it were the other way around?


It is a rare occasion that I will see a women that appears to be a competitor, or at least looks the part. I think that may be because there aren't that many of us really, and then so many allow themselves to get fat in the off season. But what I realize as I write this, when I see another really muscular, fit woman, I want to walk up and ask her about her smoking hot bod too! ha ha ha

Sunday with "R"

Ever have one of those days when you put your clothes on inside out? Here I am still smiling with my shirt on inside out! This was actually taken Friday right after I left Roy's, I was so high I didn't notice!

"R" came over on Sunday and as usual, we sat in the backyard and sipped some white wine. Seems like there is a lot of that going on here, but I do have a beautiful backyard and my husband makes wine, so.....

I hadn't seen "R" in quite some time, she no longer trains in the mornings. We met over a year ago, I recall she once told me she watched me come in every morning and I would go onto the treadmill and walk. 

For 5 minutes only. 

She couldn't believe that I looked the way I do and that was it for my cardio so she had to meet me. She talked to me and we have been friends ever since!

Before I met "R" she was heavy - she told me and I have seen pictures. She worked very, very hard to lose all of the weight. When we first became friends she only did cardio, she told me she had done it for years and never saw the results she wanted.

First we started discussing diet and did an overhaul, she ate healthy and only needed a bit of tweaking, I think she was actually not eating enough everyday as I think back.

Then one day, I finally convinced her to get off the cardio "treadmill" and learn to train with weights. She hired a trainer, one who helped her learn technique and various exercises. "R" quickly outgrew this type of training, she was ready for more hardcore stuff.

She then started training with a different trainer, one who taught her how to squat and deadlift and use all the free weights, she trained with him for a very long time and looked better and better everyday.

She still always felt she needed him I think. She didn't quite have the confidence she needed to go on her own, but work forced her - she had to start training on her own due to her schedule change.

"R" took up Crossfit.  We talked quite a bit about it on Sunday, and I saw a glint in her eyes, a passion that I had never seen before. 

It's like she has been re-born, as a sleek, lean and strong woman, who is completely assured of herself and what she is doing.

Now I have never done Crossfit and I really have no desire to, she knows much more about it than I do. But it was so fun to see the way she talked so excitedly about something, and that is the passion that we all should have for our training.

Oh- and she finally ditched the gloves! She held out her hands to proudly show me her callouses.....

"R" has arrived and she might just be teaching me a thing or two soon!

The Good Humor Truck

Anne and I bumped into each other at the club while we were filling up at the ice machine on Saturday morning.

“My body feels like it was hit by a truck! I told her. “But it feels like it was hit by an ice cream truck, not a big rig! 

She said “Oh, you mean a Good Humor truck?!” and we both laughed, I knew what she meant.

I started back lifting on Wednesday, exactly 4 weeks to the day after I broke my rib. For the first two weeks I was in too much pain to do much, but come the third week I was pounding out the steps on the stair mill, an hour a day. “Get me off this stupid machine!” I was crying inside.

Monday and Tuesday I started back with my lunch time stairs and jump rope, come Wednesday my legs were toast. Wednesday was shoulders, I was strong, I didn’t drop my weights, and I felt great.

Thursday was glutes, that wasn’t quite as easy, perhaps as my core was more involved. Friday was back and biceps. I enjoyed that, my bi’s were quite sore on Saturday. My weights had to be lowered for these exercises too.

 

Saturday? The day I had been anticipating, legs. It’s my deadlift and squat day, among other things. I have always prided myself on how heavy I can go and still maintain good form. Really, if you aren’t using good form you are defeating the purpose and risk injuring yourself, so why do it?

I had to drop my weights dramatically. I could only deadlift 135. Front squats were only 85, and back squats 115. I was feeling like a failure. 

Then I realized, it’s not only getting my body back into the swing of things, it’s getting my head into it too. You see, for me, weights are a head trip, pure and simple.

My head has gone through many interesting phases in the last four weeks. Feeling scared, sorry for myself, anger, frustration, embarrassment, anxiety, elation, pleasure, accomplishment, sadness, enlightenment.

I have never taken four weeks off in my life. Even when I had meningitis last year (was it only last year?); I lifted, only I did it with a painfully pounding headache at times…

In the past four weeks I have learned that I am an accomplished lifter, I know how to stay the course and eat healthfully without "dieting", and still look smoking hot; I have learned to enjoy food and wine with my family, I have learned that I can, and I should relax more often. 

I have learned that while competing was good for me, and it may still be good in the future, it’s only one competition, with the same people I always see, talking the same stuff I always hear, saying the same positive (and negative) things about others as they always do.

There was a time when I felt I HAD to compete to look good. I HAD to compete to justify my obsession with weights. I HAD to compete to prove something.

I no longer do. I have proven myself to the most important person in the world: 

ME

And, I am quite proud to say, that I am most impressed with the me I have become.

Just look at me in the picture above! I look pretty darn happy huh? And good too! It was Saturday after 2 hours at the gym, I seem to have maintained well, sore but still in shape. After a couple days lifting my arms are already starting to look fuller again.

This is what I wear to the gym, everyday, 365 days a year. A bra top and these little shorts. I like the way I look, and I only look better when I am close to a competition. 

I know many competitors who wouldn't be caught dead in public like this, unless it was 2 weeks before a competition, because they are not proud of how they look in the "off season", or they think they need to be "stage ready" to allow anyone to see their bodies. Pretty sad state of affairs, not sure if it is true body dysmorphic disorder, but I definitely know several who fit this mold! Me? I think most women would give their right eye to look this good in the "off season" or "on season"!

Tonight (I am writing this on Saturday), my son’s 17^th birthday, I am making a nice dinner (pork Milanese with pasta and homemade tomato sauce); he goes off to a concert while we watch UFC 129 in HD and enjoy a few glasses of wine.

Sunday? Shoulders again. I suspect I will still be running from that Good Humor truck, but I am quickly running faster than it can drive and I can barely see it behind me.

Next week, on Saturday is the competition I had been prepping for when I injured myself. Will I be going to sit in the audience and cheer on everyone? 

No. I wish them all well, I hope they come away feeling accomplished, but I won't be there. You see, competitions happen all the time, this one takes place every single May without fail. 


Saturday I will be attending a much more important event, my son's varsity lacrosse team is in the quarter finals, that doesn't happen all the time, and what would they do without the team mom there anyway?

Back in the Saddle Again!

I'm baaaaaaaaack!

Back in the saddle again! Yesterday was my first day training after 4 weeks and god did it feel good! Shoulder day, an hour in the morning with a new program, and at lunch run up 125 stairs, and down 125 stairs, then jump rope 100 times. 3 sets.

Actually, I got so excited that I did my 350 stairs and my 300 jump ropes on Monday and Tuesday at lunch too...I couldn't wait.

The picture above was taken just a couple days ago, I guess that taking a month off weight training didn't hurt me too much huh? I think it was more of an emotional distress than anything really. My delts will pop again soon, very, very soon!

My shoulder and ab workout Wednesday:

Barbell Military Press SS w Leg raise	4x10 70 lbs
Arnold Press SS w crunches	4x10 27.5 lbs
Front DB Raise	4x10 17.5 lbs
Lateral Raise/ Burns	4x10 17.5/35 lbs
Leaning Lat Raise	4x10 17.5 lbs
Seated Bent Over Raise/ twist	4x10 12.5 lbs
Butt Floss	4x10 25 lbs
Poliquins Twist	5x10 BW
Combo	3 x 4 x 3 25 lbs

It felt so good to lift again that I found myself dancing in the weight room, dancing to this song on the video below and I didn't give a damn who saw me! Actually, when people saw me they smiled, I think they were as happy to see me lifting again as I was to BE lifting!


Isn't life wonderful!?

Steven Tylers look doesn't do anything for me, in fact it is obvious the only weight he has ever lifted was attached to a bottle of something....but he says it all and it's just how I feel. Turn up your speakers and feel it with me!

Email subscribers will need to navigate directly to the blog to see the video below.

Different Words

I weighed myself today and was totally blown away, I am at 123 pounds which means my weight is about the same. I feel softer, and my shoulders are not what they used to be, but I am guessing after a week of training they may look like they used to!

I have been walking on the stairmill for 60 minutes every morning, and I have made a new friend doing it! You know how  much I detest cardio, but you see, every cloud has a sliver lining!

I have spoken to "S" on a few other occasions, just briefly. She trains with the fellow I know, the one who is the trainer I would train with if I had one, he used to train my son and was also a trainer for the 49ers for a time. I value and respect his knowledge.

Apparently she had asked him about me a few times, and he explained how we knew each other, she likes the look of my physique and we are just about the same age.

Lately we have been talking about what we enjoy with lifting, how we each stay on track with busy careers and seem to manage our food and training quite successfully. I have the added stress of a family to juggle, she has a hectic travel schedule.

She has been very encouraging about my injury, she has experienced quite a few herself and it's just part of being a serious lifter she says, and I agree. Today she told me I stand out because there really are not many women in the gym who train seriously, that's why she noticed me.

It has been 15 days, and I have seen how my words and responses to people can affect them. Earlier as they asked me "Kristy, how's your rib feeling?" I might respond with "Oh , it is so sore when I sleep, it aches when I roll over" (which is true), but then they would get a scrunched up, pained look on their face and wish me well and walk away...Now, my response is "Better and better everyday! Soon I will be swinging weights around! ha ha" and they smile, give me a hug, talk about other things in life and generally stay engaged.

I relayed somewhat the same information in both responses, but in a different way, I used different words. It was received much differently.

Today I received this video from a competitor, Nancy Georges. It really hit home for me.

Email subscribers will need to navigate directly to the blog to view this video.

Gym Talk

I was leaving the gym cafe on Tuesday, with a cup of coffee in hand. Over walks "the doctor". You know the plastic surgeon who thinks I need to have my entire face done?

Doctor: "There you are, I have been looking all over for you, how come I haven't seen you lifting weights?'

Kristy: "I have an injury, I haven't lifted in a week."

Doctor: "What happened?"

Kristy: "I broke a rib, I can't lift for another 3 to 5 weeks."

Doctor: "Oh, what are you taking for pain, which rib and how did you do it?"

Kristy: "Vicodin, 10th left side, weight training."

Doctor: "Take plenty of fiber when you take Vicodin or you will get constipated, take benefiber, it's a great product and works wonderfully.

Kristy: "Thanks, I will keep that in mind."

Doctor: "I have decided to start deadlifting so I want you to teach me proper technique."

Kristy: (thinking WTF!!??) "I cannot lift a thing myself so we can talk about it after I rehabilitate myself."

Doctor:" OK, I will keep my eye out for you."

So, what do I ask for in  return? Besides laughs galore, there is no way I am training a 70 year old plastic surgeon!

The gym is still fun even if I can only walk!

Can't Keep me Down

I went to the gym Monday and walked!  I called the doctor on Friday and asked if it would be OK, or I would go nuts. The answer was "as long as you aren't taking pain killers, walk away"

I spent a few days eating and drinking, I am amazed at how my muscles soak up and hold onto the glycogen! I look good, although the belly is a bit soft, something a bikini gal would like I am sure, but me? I like to be be hard, lean and lithe with round full muscle bellies showing.

I told David that I looked bloated and he agreed and he asked if maybe I had internal bleeding (guess I look kinda big huh?) but I assured him I didn't, it must be swelling...

Over the weekend I thought about what friends have told me, and I realize they are all correct. Things happen for a reason, and someone reminded me of running.

So many people have offered encouragement and pushed me to continue, I am amazed at how much faith they have in my abilities.

Before I started weight training, I was a runner. I am a Marathoner. You see, once a marathoner, always a marathoner- did you know they say that? You can never take that accomplishment away from anyone. Running 26.2 miles, without ever stopping is an amazing feat, and I have done it. 4 hours, 1 minute, 7 seconds. My goal was 4 hours and at the age of 40, I think that was pretty darn good.

I stopped running due to injuries, doctors orders. Plus I couldn't walk without pain and that was a bit of a drag. I think I went through a bit of depression and then I started weight training, but it took quite some time before I fell in love with it.

Then the passion never waned. I love what it does to my body, to my mind, to my heart. I love the atmosphere of a gym, almost any gym, the darker and dirtier the better!

So I have many things to explore now, and they are all in the gym, I will be going in everyday as usual.

Competing? I am a competitor! Once a competitor, always a competitor.

The only difference between my current competition, and the NPC competitions that I usually participate in, is this time, I am the only competitor.

This song from Pink called 18 Wheeler is one of my favorites, the video depicts how I feel right now, beat up, angry, relentless and ready to take on anyone who dares get in my way.

You can't keep me down.

Email subscribers will need to navigate directly to the blog to view the video, please do and turn up your speakers, so you can understand exactly what I am feeling.

Gym Talk

 

I don't have time to talk in the gym, or I guess I should say I don't make time to. That doesn't seem to stop people from talking to me though!

It was Saturday morning, leg day and one of my hardest sessions. I start with abs because I hate training abs, it seems like such a waste of time in my mind so it is very easy to wait until the end, then all of a sudden find I am out of time, so, I guess I can't train them.

Good excuse huh? So to prevent that I train the suckers first! See who is smarter now!

Then I move to my deadlifts. I must admit deadlifts are impressive to watch, and when a woman is doing them, they are even more impressive.

There is a fellow who talks to me every morning, just for a moment but I still have to pull the ear buds out of my ears to hear him. He is 70 or maybe even older. What does he say?

"I have the flat bench set up for you"

Every time I see him, which is about 4 days a week! Seems all he does is bench press on the smith. Probably a good place for a guy that age to do bench alone don't you think?

I rarely use the smith and when I do, it's not for bench. I just smile and thank him.

He is a plastic surgeon, the same one who said to me a few years ago:

"You should come see me. Your face should be in the same century as your body."

Guess he thinks I have a pretty smoking body, or a pretty nasty face. Maybe both, I am not sure. Anyway, he doesn't think he said anything wrong and he loves to comment on the changes my physique makes, telling me when he thinks I am looking better than other times. He even said once "Did you just tan? Looks good on you"

Today after he told me the flat bench was ready for me he wanted to talk about me again.

Doctor: "You're looking good"
Kristy: "That's cause I'm losing all my body fat"
Doctor: "Well don't lose the body"
Kristy: "No worries, I won't"

Then he asked me why he couldn't progress on his bench, not even a measly 5 pounds.

I pointed to my head and said "It's all in your head. You can progress, but your brain won't let you"

He said "really?" then went on to tell me a story from his youth about a big weight training guy who couldn't bench more than 290. ever (seems like an impressive amount to me though...perhaps he cannot accurately recall the weight).

So, since this was so long ago, before the common use of cell phones, this fellow got a call from his wife, so he had to rack the weight and go to the front desk to take the call. When he was gone, his buddies added more weight to the bar, bringing it over his max.

Seems he had no trouble pressing it up, he thought it was his regular weight.

I told him that I believe the story, I believe in the power of our brains as the strongest muscle we own. He nodded his head and said maybe I was right after all.

He then pointed to my loaded bar, told me he wanted to see me lift before he went. I already had my chalk on my hands, my straps dangling from my wrists and I plugged in my my ear buds.

I knocked out 10 deadlifts and put the bar down.

He had a huge smile on his face, said "Wow! Impressive! Now I can enjoy the rest of my day! Make sure you tell me when your show is, I wanna come see you!"

And off he toddled....

Things like this seem surreal to me and yet they motivate me in some sick and twisted way. It does seem an odd way to be motivated, but it makes me laugh and smile at the fact someone feels comfortable enough to make such personal comments to me, critique me, chat me up,  and I stand there and listen.

Then I lift.


Late Addition:

I need to append to this blog. I typically write them a few days in advance, as this one was. On Monday after work I pull into the gym parking lot to do my cardio and who do I see standing there but this doctor and some other fellow.

I had the top down and I shouted out "Hey, are you saving a parking space for me?!"  he waived and said "sure, hold on".


Then he walked over and looked at me and said "Are you the gal from the morning? What's your name?"

"Yes" I replied, "It's Kristy, I look a little better when I go to work" and he just looked at me and then went to his car. As he pulled out, and I pulled in, I brought my window down and took off my sunglasses to thank him (the lot was completely full).

He looked at me again with a look of sheer awe and appeared dumbfounded. He then said "You're gorgeous! You are a knockout!!" "I will be here tomorrow"

I threw my head back and laughed loudly and thanked him, he drove off still looking a little shocked.

I changed and climbed up on the stairmill, smiling the entire time, feeling really good. I guess I don't need to carry that brown paper bag to put over my head any longer.

Roll with Me

My quads were tight and sore on Sunday, as I have mentioned this is unusual, so I needed to take care of them.

Saturday is leg day- I train legs twice a week and I may need to move to one, as I am not recovering fast enough. There are some who will say that if you are training right, meaning as hard as possible, you should not be able to train more than once a week.

I train hard, even in my own eyes I am a certified beast and have been told that by many men who are qualified to know a beast when they see one.

This workout could easily benefit a man or woman, just change the weights a bit. I would like to hear how you do like it and how you feel afterward.

Here was Saturday's training:

Reverse Crunch on an incline 3x10 bodyweight
/ superset with
Hanging Leg Raise from a power rack, tilting pelvis back 3x10 bodyweight
Deadlifts 5x10 155 pounds
Front Squats 3x10 125 pounds
Back Squats 3x10 135 pounds
Glute Ham Raise 4x10 10 pound weight
Reverse Hyper 4x10 with 2 pound ankle weights
(I am pretty tired now)
Seated Leg Curl 3x10 70 pounds
Standing Calve Raise 3x10 135 pounds / superset with
Seated Calve Raise 3x25 70 pounds

Then a short break and 30 minutes on the stairmill.

If you can train twice a day I would recommend doing the cardio in the afternoon or evening instead.  Studies have shown that sessions lasting longer than 1 & 1/4 hour really are more detrimental to muscle building, so try to keep it right about there. I will talk more on that at another time, but for now you may notice that those who seem most successful are not necessarily those who train the longest!

Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays I will do my cardio after work. 20 minutes..that's it.

The deads and squats alone are enough to work over many people.

I don't usually do many machines such as the leg curl and extensions until I get close to a competition, as these are not considered "mass building" and are associated more with cuts and definition. I will do extensions and RDL's along with lunges on Tuesday.

Soon I will take the deadlifts out as these are  not really a "Figure" type of exercise...but they do your entire body good!

Rolling is important, it can help you stay healthy and recover faster. This picture was taken Sunday evening and rolling was so painful I felt nauseous doing it, I had to stop and come back several times. SC taught me to roll through the pain, until the pain stopped, then roll 30 more times. I couldn't, it hurt too much.

Glutes and Kettlebells

 

My training has been really interesting to me lately, and the switch has made a dramatic change in my physique.

This picture was taken on Thursday morning at 6:30 am right after I returned from the gym. I am pretty pumped up, but the thing is, that is how I am looking all the time! It was GLUTE day for god sakes!

I know that the dietary change is helping a lot for me too, I am eating more fats and I can see that the lean mass is definitely increasing and the body fat is getting lower, I can easily see it in the abdominal area.

I seem to have found the perfect diet for my body, it has taken me two years.

Glute day involves the use of my Gymboss more than any other day. This is an interval timer that is indispensable for those who do not have a trainer.

I was performing what SC called a bench reverse iso hyper, a mainstay of my glute training. You lay face down on a flat bench, with the crease of the hips at the very edge, you will be raising your straight legs up so they are parallel with your prone body, and this will be held for a period of time. You are basically straight, or with your legs slightly higher than your body (ideal but difficult), contracting the glutes to keep it all in position and the only part of you on the bench is your body from the hips up.

An added dimension is I do this with a 25 pound free weight clamped between my ankles and I hold it for 30 seconds, timed by the Gymboss. 30 second hold, 30 second rest, three times. It's pretty difficult.

I finished and collapsed to my knees on the floor, and one of the regulars, an attorney, nice but not a serious lifter starts this conversation:

Attorney: "ha another one of your oddball made up moves!"
Me: "What? This is not made up, this is a serious lift!"

Then a trainer walking by says "Old school buddy, she is old school, everyone knows that move"

Me: "Yeah, look at my butt and look at yours then tell me if the move is that oddball!"
Trainer "Yeah, and she isn't here to exercise her mandible like you"

Attorney: "Do you have a competition coming up or something?"
Me: "Yup, can't you tell by the way I look!?"
Attorney: "No, I just notice when your intensity level is kicked up a few notches!"

Laughter all around and I go back to my odd ball, but highly effective moves and he goes back to his little plastic ab rolly thingy.

Next is swings, I have started back with my kettlebells, I love them so much and had all but abandoned them. There is so much to do, it's easy to leave something behind, but in the quest for low body fat, I completely forgot that this is what really melts it away for me. As you know, I am not a real fan of lots of cardio, I have not seen many physiques that I feel benefit from a lot, unless it is one that has copious amounts of bodyfat to lose, or one on drugs. Steroid users can do a lot more cardio without looking haggard than a natural athlete can.

I find tabata interval style training or kettlebells work best for me, so high intensity intervals basically.

Monday was 5 sets of 20 with a 20 kilo kettlebell, today I switched it up to be 7 sets of 15. I perform a two handed swing, set the bell down, walk around the gym to lower my heart rate and get right back into the next set.

That's the end of the training day, and a good end. As I put the bell away, a woman who was training with the guy I consider to be the most knowledgeable trainer in the place (the only trainer there who is RKC - Russian Kettlebell Certified by Pavel), and the only one I have seen actually swing bells in the gym correctly says "Your back looks really good. I have been wanting to see you do those for a long time"

I thanked her and pointed to her trainer and said "He's the expert right there" and she said "Yes I know, that's why I hired him"

I showed her my white hands and told her about the great Liquid Grip I started using, it really helps when swinging kettlebells. I am not a fan of gloves, I think for three reasons, I like to feel the weights in my hands; I think you can actually get a better, more functional grip without them; and SC used to tell me I wouldn't be allowed in the weight room if I even attempted to walk in wearing wimpy gloves. "No real man wears gloves" he would tell me, and the hell if I wanted to be treated like a woman!
 
The trainer walked up, looked at my white messy hands and said he loves the stuff too, he uses it with his high school football team he coaches at a private school.

The fact that she had been wanting to see me perform swings is a great moral booster, and I can never see my back so I do rely on my pictures and comments from others. Funny how people watch and I never realize it. I think I am in a zone.



David? One look at me this morning and he said I needed a cheeseburger. That's what happens when I start losing fat too quickly, and I need to "arrest" the fat loss, I have a real cheeseburger, white bun and all and it halts the process for a while. I told him I think he may be a week premature, check with me next Friday!

Right now I am thinking I might be able to sport a Dana Linn Bailey shirt soon, and look like I belong in it!

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.