Flexible Dieting, Daily Undulating Periodization and Life

The morning of my competition, October 11, 2014

It’s been over a year since I have written, a lot has happened in that time.  I feel like I came to the end of a very long journey, only to sit down for a rest, open the door to look outside and find a long and winding, but beautiful road ahead of me yet again.

When I started with my coach, Dr. Layne Norton, I had never heard of “reverse dieting” and it was a fairly new concept to everyone. I went through many ups and downs, mostly the fear of gaining weight and getting fat. I still have bouts with it on occasion, but those moments are few and far between.

I competed in October of 2014, only once this past year. I came in second place in Women’s Physique in an NPC show, there was only height categories, not age, so to be second place, especially being as old as all the other competitors mothers is thrilling, absolutely thrilling! 

I looked better than I ever have; I had a smooth and fairly easy prep. Layne certainly dropped my food at a few points, and cardio was increased, some days HIIT with 13 intervals…exhausting! But I never, ever did cardio every day, nor did I slip back into the popular yet inaccurate belief that “tilapia thins the skin” and “you gotta eat clean to get lean”.

Last check in, 3 weeks ago (May 10, 2015)

Layne also does not believe in dehydration, so I had lots of water, even on competition day. I did learn that sodium manipulation is very important though, and that goes hand in hand with water intake. “Peak week” is actually two weeks not one, and this is where you can really dial things in with very small tweaks.

Top five, I am 2nd place

In the last year I have changed the way I lift, eat and my general outlook on “life”.  I have become quite talented with my flexible dieting approach to cooking, I am back to cooking like a professional chef,  no longer does David send me an email about a new restaurant asking if there is anything I can eat there- he sends me a text and just says “let’s go here tonight!”. He knows I no longer have food restrictions of any sort. Sure, I have caloric restrictions, but everyone should if they are intent on maintaining a certain physique or weight.

The freedom to eat like a normal person, and honestly believe that there is no such thing as a bad food has been one of the most valuable lessons I have learned in my adult life.

Last check in, 3 weeks ago (May 10, 2015)

I am following more of a power lifting style of training- it's actually called Daily Undulating Periodization (DUP), I concentrate on squats, dead-lifts and standing military press, with two days of “accessory” (or fluff) work such as biceps, shoulders, back, calves. The stuff most people concentrate on in the gym.  I only do two days of cardio a week- 8 intervals of HIIT. Layne writes a new block for me every four weeks, I am progressing slowly and safely.

Here is an interesting link to an article about DUP, by Dr. Mike Zourdos, he taught me to squat at a Layne Norton V.I.P camp in Florida! 

My calories got quite high at one point,  before I started my competition prep I was at 2644 calories a day, and I am still reverse dieting seven months later and not yet up there again.  As of today I am at 2442 calories a day, but I am only 4.5 pounds over stage weight!  Having calories this high means I can go wine tasting, or just knock back 6 ounces at dinner if I want. I have dessert nightly (although it is super low calorie), and eat what pleases me.

Last check in, 3 weeks ago (May 10, 2015)

I still look lean and muscular; I am happy, very, very happy. I never blew up after my competition as most competitors do.

I had a wonderful time at my competition, probably because I felt fed, hydrated, safe, supported, and confident. But, I don’t know if I will do another again. I know, I have said that before, but this time I can feel it.

Last check in, 3 weeks ago (May 10, 2015)

You see, I don’t have anything to prove any longer, I’ve done that. I am living proof of my successes.  I never had aspirations to be a fitness model, or be a “pro” (shit I started competing at the age of 47)….I wanted to prove to myself that age is not a barrier, that you don’t have to be 25 and half naked to be considered sexy.  I look better today than I ever did at 25 and better than most 25 year olds I pass on the street. I am not willing to take anabolic steroids, growth hormone or fat burners; so many people do and don’t consider the health consequences (or financial for that matter).  

I talk to so many friends who are doing a great deal of cardio, everyday, months out from a show, they don't seem to understand that they can only increase the cardio, they cannot back off as they get closer to a show. They live off tasteless food for months and months (if you call that living) and dread going in to the gym for the twice a day sessions. I am getting better at holding my tongue, I hate seeing their social media posts about their horrible diet food, like cold tilapia and broccoli in a Tupperware container- at a wedding.......and I want to shout to the world that it's not necessary, but I haven't earned many brownie points for doing that, so I sit back and wait until they come to me, and a lot of people do. They ask how I do it, what is the secret. 

I am excited to see the change in attitude about women wanting to be stronger, healthy and happy as opposed to skinny, helpless and dieting.  The movement to better understand nutrition, such as IIFYM also called Flexible Dieting (counting macro nutrients) is also a good one, how could I have been so naive to believe that certain foods were magical? That to diet successfully one must ingest only specific foods?  It does work, I am not saying it doesn’t, but it works because calories are being severely limited, that’s the only reason why “clean eating” works.  Just as the “paleo” and “gluten free” fads are waning, I foresee “clean eating” losing its popularity once people take the time to educate themselves and spend time figuring out their own caloric needs. 

I just signed with Layne for another year- that’s how important this is to me, even if I may not compete, my training, nutrition and health are one of the most important aspects of my life. 

I will be writing again, but not every day as I did a couple years ago, I don’t have the time. Follow me on Instagram, I’m there every day usually posting my epic food creations! @readyin5weeks

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!

Accomplishments and Believing in Yourself

The last few weeks have been a whirlwind for me, getting back to my "normal" routine. Any sane person would tell you there is nothing normal about my routine, but it's normal for me!

I'm back to my usual schedule, training at Gold's Gym every single morning at opening  and training with Roy at Bodycomp Gym 3 days a week after work. 

Guys still stop me at the gym, almost everyday and say something like "Don't you have a competition coming up soon?" Friday I was telling this to Roy and I laughed just thinking about the irony of it all. I weigh a lot more than I did three weeks ago, I fluctuate between 7 to 9 pounds more. It's my normal weight, but can't these guys see that I am not the mean, lean machine I was only a short while ago?!

I like to think I still look bangin' even if I have some soft fat surrounding my hips and abs.....It's still a lot less than most women. I noticed today, on one of my Quad days that I am looking like a very muscular gal right now, strong, not dainty in any way, shape or form! I suppose I need to get a picture, I have neglected to do so, maybe on Sunday I will.

Part of the joy of getting back to my "normal" routine is lifting because I like to lift, not because I have to lift. It was Front Squats today, 5 sets of 8. Roy told me to do as many at 135# as possible. I had to warm up with many sets, I am still having tightness in my hips, it comes and goes but lots of stretching, rolling and warm ups help.

I did my first set it 125#, then I did the remaining at 135#, all four remaining sets! Folks, these are front squats, at more than my bodyweight! My buddy for the morning, before I went on to walking lunges, with a 40# dumbbell in each hand!

I am still basking in my accomplishments, I am proud of myself. When the division of Women's Physique was first introduced, I immediately wanted to switch over, but I didn't think I was ready. Oh, I had the self confidence, that is never a problem for me (sometimes I can come off as quite arrogant due to my confidence), it was my physique, I wasn't quite as muscular as I would need to be. I'm still not, I want to add a bit more but that takes time.

I waited a couple years and trained hard, I kept competing in Figure but I tried to get as big and as muscular as possible. It's not easy when you are a female, you are not young, and and when you are natural - I rely on good food, sleep, and heavy weights. 

Consistency. Dedication. Desire. Passion. Love.

So many of us go through life afraid of what others may say or think about us. I know that I have many people shaking their heads. What is a woman her age doing dressed (or not dressed) like that!? Who does she think she is?!

But do I care? No. I live my life for me. For my pleasure, my pursuit of my own happiness. While I want my family and friends to be proud of me, I can only do what I feel I need to do in the one life I have been given.

I feel fortunate to have found what makes me feel young, makes me feel healthy and alive, what makes me want to jump out of bed every morning. I don't roll over and look at the alarm clock, dreading the start of another day, ever.

Look at your life, think about what you are doing, what you are accomplishing. Are you proud of yourself? Can you walk through life with your head held high, shoulders back, laughing out loud? I hope so, we should all be doing just that.

I have a motivational video below, one of the most moving I have seen in quite some time. Email readers will need to navigate directly to the blog by clicking on the Ready In 5 Weeks link at the top of the page.

 

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! 

A Woman Belongs In The Weight Room

A lot has been going on in my life. I am sure everyone has just as much going on in their lives as I do, but we all handle it differently don't we? I think as I get closer to a competition, my focus becomes laser sharp, I concentrate on the task at hand and I start operating on auto pilot. I pretty much do one thing and one thing alone, I have to.

I have so much to do because I am training twice a day, every day. That means every single morning I am at the gym when it opens (5am on weekdays, 6am on weekends). Then two weeknights a week I train with Roy, and on Fridays at noon. The other weeknights I am on my treadmill at home or back at Gold's to train shoulders, or do some cardio, and on weekend afternoons I schlep back to the gym for posing, routine practice and cardio.

Weekends are jam packed with food shopping, cooking, weighing and packaging. And then since you cannot cook all the food for a week, it gets done again in the middle of the week.

All my supplements need to be re-stocked into the daily containers for the week, I have five different ones, pre training, post, lunch, dinner, bed. 

And don't forget that little thing that seems to suck up most of my time, it's called a full time job. Yes indeed, a lot of people do all this, don't have a job and still say they don't have enough time!

It's almost like having a child again. The "thing" needs constant attention. But just like a child, I love it. Absolutely love it!

I thought that after my son left home I would have so much extra time, and somehow I seem to fill it right up! Just gotta figure out how to get out of working full time and then I would have enough time in my day!

I feel so at home in the gym, especially this one, Gold's in Campbell. It's big and open, huge high ceilings, lots of old equipment and all the free weights and benches I could possibly want. There are three cable crossovers, two dual cables, a Glute Ham Raise and five squat racks; five!  The only thing it is missing is a sled and a full set of kettlebells. I know so many of the people by name and they are all welcoming, encouraging and fun to joke with.

I love when some of the guys will come up to me and say things like "You didn't look like this a while ago, what's going on?!" Then I have to explain the competitions and "the process", and it all starts clicking in their heads why I am so intense in the gym, I am on a mission.

People ask "how can you do that?" or "How do you find the time?" and my thought is how can I not? I believe we all find the time to do what we really want in life, we MAKE the time.

It's my passion in life. I have found it and I am lucky.

My body starts changing considerably the last few weeks. These were taken on Saturday, April 6, 2013, 5 weeks from the competition. The body fat has really dropped quite a bit, and I don't have much more to lose, maybe one pound at most. I never really had much to lose anyway, but a small amount makes a huge difference on a small person.

I had hydrostatic testing done again, the day these pictures were taken. I am at 7.1% which means I have lost a pound of bodyfat and I actually gained 1/2 pound of lean mass. This is great news as it is so easy to lose muscle when dieting, it's actually my biggest fear. I have a whopping 8.85 pounds of fat on my entire body. I like to concentrate on the lean mass though, I am almost all muscle, 117.15 pounds of it.

Here is the latest test:

My training has changed a bit now, I am doing higher reps with lower weights, targeting the shoulders. Everything else is about the same, it's just rounding out the shoulder area so I actually have to split my training into two workouts each of the two days I train them. I cannot fit it all in at once, and it is not good to work that long without rest and fuell anyway, so Tuesdays I do half the workout before work, then back to the gym after work to do the rest. Fridays I train shoulders with Roy, then eat and head back to my gym to finish off with the cables on my own again.

I have had some feedback from Michelle Brent, IFBB Pro about my posing and have made changes, she has been a great help. Below is a video of the latest mandatory poses, and we chatted again after she saw this about a few tweaks I will be incorporating.

I have a few pangs of anxiety here and there, but for the most part I am excited and looking forward to the event, to the day where I finally get to see my finished product, have fun with all the friends who will be competing along side me and then celebrate with friends and family afterward.

Moving into the Physique division has been an exciting change for me. I prefer more muscle and less bodyfat than what a Figure competitior carries, it suits me as a person. I like how I look.

Having attainable goals are often something people only have in their work lives, and few people actually have measurable goals established in their personal lives. I find that by have goals like this for myself, I have a better sense of direction, purpose and fulfillment in my life.

Not everyone needs to compete, it's a difficult process to go through and it's not for the thin skinned or whiners, but for those looking for an amazing way to interact with a lot of other like minded people who have a passion for training, it's a great way to prove to yourself just how wonderful you really are. 

Train hard!

Women's Physique Competition in 9 weeks

Life has been quite busy these days. I realize that only my closest friends and family really know that I have a competition coming up soon. 10 weeks when these were taken, 9 weeks now! 

To the average person that's a long time - like two and  a half months! But to a competitor, that's just around the corner.

It means time to buckle down and stick to the diet, be religious with cardio, weigh myself everyday, scrutinize my physique, practice posing and now...now, I need to add in the routine!

Actually, many competitors have been doing the "diet" thing for many, many weeks. I actually went on vacation to Mexico and enjoyed lots of great food and drinks, at a time when most competitors would be on a hard diet. I stay lean year round so I can do that.

I have actually been humming along quite nicely  I enjoy the routine, the structure. I do well with that. Don't get me wrong, I love to be spontaneous (as long as I have all my food prepped and gym time scheduled!) LOL!

I find it all very interesting to see how different individuals handle the preparation for a competition and all of the added steps that go along with it. Everyone handles it differently based on their own personalities and their comfort zone. Of course, it also depends on if this is their first competition or they are a veteran. (Notice my deltoids in the picture below - those are what they call "striations", almost like groves or lines running down the muscle you can see just underneath the skin). 

I was scared as hell the first time, and I always get nervous as I lead up to it each time now, but I have an unusual sense of calm this time.

I don’t tend to be a reactionary person in life anyway, nor do I get freaked out over things, as David always says “You NEVER worry about anything! I have to worry for both of us!” ha ha 

I am a planner - I hired a posing coach since Physique was all so new and I wanted to feel comfortable. She did a great job, gave me many tips and feedback (good and bad); but I am no longer posing with her. I learned a lot but needed to venture out on my own. I am a person who likes to learn how to do something, not have it done for me. I do practice on my own almost everyday. I feel comfortable, very comfortable and in fact, am having quite the time posing in the gym these days!

I have been quite happy with how my physique has changed in the last year. I stayed lean, maybe too lean, so that is making my diet very, very easy. I didn’t say it was fun, but it is easy (there is a big difference).

Last night I finished cardio (my treadmill in the guestroom) and then took a nice long shower. I walked into the kitchen naked (and I think I opened the refrigerator and just looked at the homemade almond butter), and David says “You are looking pretty awesome you know! Before when you did Figure you used to look all (then he scrunches all up and makes himself look skinny and drawn). Now you look all (he hunkers down, holds his arms out from his sides and makes himself look short and bulky).

I think he was trying to say I look fuller, more muscular and healthier. I do like the look better myself!

I have reached the stage where I honestly feel it is the journey and not the destination. Getting up on the stage on May 11 will not alter my life, it won’t really change anything, and it isn’t the start of something. It’s an event that I am working towards right now, a goal with an ending date, and like any other event, I will enjoy it and move on when it is done.

I enjoy the weight training and staying lean and healthy, so I haven’t made many changes to prep for this.  I have stopped snacking, stopped eating out at restaurants, cut out my occasional wine or sparkling wine and added in cardio.  If I had started at a very high body fat percentage (I was at 7.8% 15 weeks out from my competition), then I would be singing a much different tune, but I remained lean and so I’s more mental that anything right now.

I have already starting thinking after the competition! I want to sit down and scientifically work out my diet so that I can gain but not bulk. There is no reason in this day and age, with the knowledge we have regarding nutrition and training that anyone needs to gain a lot of weight to add muscle. Yes, you need to have a calorie surplus and will gain bodyfat, but no one should turn into a hippo “off season” unless they just want to get fat and eat without being responsible about it all.

I have the competition diet down, and frankly the off season diet down too, I think I still tend to eat a bit less starch than I should to gain properly, so that will be the next goal.

But I am jumping ahead, I still need to drop a little fat, but not quite yet. So I am sticking to the diet, doing my cardio and lifting as heavy as I can.  I will reassess each week.

But back to the posing....I hit these poses in the locker room and always have my phone or camera. The other women no longer look at my quizzically  Competitors stare at themselves, a lot!  Many people think it's vanity but it's not, it's constant self doubt, constant anxiety, constant worry that you ate something at the wrong time, or you ate the wrong meal, or even (god forbid!) missed a meal and your whole being will crumble.

Posing is very, very important. Of course, the physique comes first, but once all those beautiful bodies are up there, what separates them? The posing. I can stand relaxed and look like a normal, regular woman, but if I hold my lats out, pump my chest up, bring my shoulders up and pull in the abs, all of a sudden, I am amazon woman! 

The posing is important to show off the muscles, the definition. 

Practicing the posing also ensures you learn to hold the poses, often a judging panel will make you hold them for quite some time, you need to get used to it.

If you plan to compete, I cannot stress how much you need to practice- I started six months prior I think, I know people who will start six weeks before their show.

Soon, the "routine"!

Women's Physique Posing Routine Music

I have finally selected music for my posing routine! It's been a very difficult decision, and the funny thing is, whatever I do really has no bearing on my score or placement really! The routine is simply entertainment for the audience, thanking them for sitting through the long and (sometimes) very boring day or evening of judging.

These pictures were taken 16 weeks out from my next competition, I have just stated cardio and...a modified diet. I don't have a lot to lose!

The routine is part of the excitement of Women's Physique for me though. I love to dance, I love to move, and just being able to do my own thing, instead of "quarter turn to the right" over and over will be fun and rewarding.

I have competed exclusively in Figure, its where I belonged when I started, in fact, the division of  Physique did not exist when I started and Bikini began my first year competing, in fact, at my first competition was a woman competing in Bikini who went on to become the very first Bikini pro! She looked great and really seemed to set the bar, but Bikini got softer and softer. I never would compete in Bikini, it's not for me. I don't have the physique nor am I comfortable with the posing (and I have friends who compete in Bikini, so I will end my comments here).

As Bikini expanded, the look for Figure changed, it became "softer" and I liked looking "harder". I also grew and developed my physique more, and basically made myself too muscular for Figure. At least, that is the feedback I received from the judges and other competitors. That's great news to me, I like a more muscular look and it suites me better, I have wider shoulders and narrow hips. I worked hard to add more muscle, eating right, letting myself get a little "big" in between competitions, but never fat. 

My last competition was May of 2012, and although I placed first in my category, when I asked for feedback from the head judge, she said:

" You are too hard, striated and separated for both figure and physique. You have the size to transition into women's physique if you wanted. If you want to stay in figure then you need to soften the look and bring your muscle size down some. The new criteria for either division is a softer look. No striation and no hard/deep separation. The difference in the figure and woman's physique is size. Physique competitors can have more muscle but must maintain a softer feminine look. It is not woman's bodybuilding.”

No one could have said anything better to me! As a natural athlete (drug free), to be told I am too hard, striated and separated, especially for a woman of 51 is quite an accomplishment. It shows a lot of dedication to diet and training, rest and recovery.

Picking my music has been tough because being on stage is a very scary event for me, so I needed something I was completely comfortable with. Much of the advice I received said to pick something "feminine and slow", but I am not a particularly "feminine" woman and I never do anything slowly! So why would I start with this. I decided to forgo the advice and picked what I liked, something that I felt I could move to and enjoy. 

I was referred to JSinn at MasterMindz Productions, and put my trust in him. I was glad I did, just as I have experienced most of my life, trusting others is always the right decision. I sent him the song and asked "what next"? He said just to tell him the length, where to start and where to end and he would do his magic and he would cut out "the swears". The rules state that the music cannot have profanity or explicit content  and there were a couple problems, this song had some swear words, and the entire song is about nasty sex! The more I thought about it though, I realized that all music seems to be about sex doesn't it? Either wanting sex, having had sex, wishing they were having sex, talking about sex, or breaking up with someone they already had sex with! I decided to move ahead with the song.

He pushed me to make a decision, don't wait! I made it, emailed him and he quickly emailed me right back. He told me I couldn't do what I wanted. I didn't understand and I tried to explain. "I like the chorus, so I need you to start here so I can have some of the chorus and some of the other part". He explained that I need an intro, a middle and an outro.

JSinn sent my music right away, with a watermark (his voice over) so I could listen and let him know my thoughts. And what were they? I was dancing the happy dance! I loved it! I never could have imagined it this way, he took bits and pieces, cut them and spliced them (I guess that's' the lingo) and created a smooth song with a lead in (intro) and the middle and a definite end!

I have known a few people who did their own, but at what cost? JSinn's prices were amazingly affordable,  I had thought it would have been much more expensive, but I was wrong. And, he was great fun to work with too, he's got quite the personality, but then he's an artist so that makes sense huh? Why would I work so hard dieting, training, calculating, paying entry fees and going through all the emotional ups and downs of competing just to save a few bucks on my music? The place to save money is on a hotel room (share one) not on the important stuff. 

I have inserted a YouTube of the original song I liked, remember that I have only 60 seconds to perform my routine, so it's not long! JSinn started in with some of the intro, then the chorus and the real end, its fabulous! Keep in mind this version has his "watermark" on it (MasterMindz over and over) for copyright protection.

I could only add this as a widget on the main blog page, so just look for the hot pink arrow right under the woman with the snapping whip on the right hand side! You can hear his fantastic version of the there.

Email readers will need to navigate directly to the blog- the blue Ready In 5 Weeks link at the top to view the video).

Shoot JSinn and email, check out his Facebook page, and talk with him before you make a big mistake with your routine and music! 

Now...I can start practicing the routine!

I attempted to add an MP3 player to my blog, but after a week of reading and setting up accounts to host my files, I was unsuccessful and very frustrated. So.....I will have to write another post when I finally figure it all out. Any techies out there who can help me, please do so!

I set up a Dropbox account and copied the files into the public folder, but nothing! If you want to hear his magic just email me and I can send the file to you!