My New Toy

It's a treadmill! And, it has a great story behind it! This is a NordicTrack EXP 1000, no it's not top of the line, nor is it new, but it was $50.00 and now it's mine!


You see, when you compete, you start doing 'two a days", meaning you are at the gym in the morning, then back again after work (those who are lucky enough to be able to get by without working- power to you and it is a bit more convenient for you isn't it?)


It gets very discouraging when you are hungry because you are dieting, tired because you are dieting and tired because you are training so hard; to have to go back to the gym after work, find a parking space, change and do it all over again.


Now, I can go into my guest room and do my cardio as soon as I get home! I park in the garage, no problems there! Is this going to replace my regular conditioning, sprints, stairs, and jump rope? No - It cannot, but I do need to add in additional cardio as I get closer to competition time, this will be my extra cardio.


I woke up early Saturday and looked at Craigslist and there it was. "Motivated seller", he said the price reflects the fact that he just wants to get rid of it fast. I emailed and told him I would be home by 8:30 am...he never contacted me until late in the afternoon, he had been at work. He said I was the first to respond (I do get up early) and asked if I had a truck- yes indeed I do!


I drove out there and got out of my convertible BMW, Tom had a bit of an annoyed look on his face, "I thought you said you had a truck?" I laughed and explained I do have a truck, but my friend Mark was remodeling (again) and I hadn't realized that he had taken it until I walked out to the front of my house to get in it and it was gone. It was full of bricks at the moment, if I bought the treadmill I would come right back with the truck and get it.


Tom looked me up and down and commented that I looked like I worked out a lot- He asked what sort of exercise do I do. I told him I lifted weights a lot and explained Figure, the competitions, and the reason for needing a treadmill, then he asked if I was a model too. Now that made my day, week, month and maybe even my year.  He asked when I started doing this and I said "when I was 47" and a shocked look came over his face and he said "47?! How old are you NOW?!" I told him I would be 51 in a couple months and he said "I thought you were in your 30's!" I am guessing Tom doesn't get out much....


I bought it and returned shortly with Moby (my big white truck). Tom helped me load it in and I drove home happy as a clam, wondering where on earth I would put it. David and Cooper were out of town until Sunday night, I had about 24 hours to figure it out, come up with a story and then make sure it all looked clean and tidy.

The treadmill sat in the truck in the driveway all night, I needed help and Mark was too tired after removing his brick chimney all day.

I spent the evening, until 10:30 moving everything around in the guest room and discovered a zillion things we didn't need, most of it under the bed, which got moved to every corner of the room as I attempted to fit everything in and still be able to walk around the bed. In the morning, after I returned from the gym, Mark came and we moved it to it's new home, right by a great window that I can open when it's hot.

The boys came home and David walked by the guest room and said "What the??" I explained that it was only $50.00 and he wanted to know why we needed a treadmill. I told him that I didn't have to go back to the gym at night now. He seemed a bit annoyed.


Cooper walked by and said "What the??" and asked what it was doing there. I explained and he wanted to know why we needed  a treadmill. When I told him why he seemed a bit annoyed. "I live here too!" he said. "Well", I explained. "You have two rooms, and the treadmill is in the guest room, not in one of yours, so I don't see how it inconveniences you at all." He replied that treadmills are noisy.


After they got settled we talked a bit, and I told David that he could actually use it every night too, it would be a great way to ease back into exercise! Luckily I had made them beef bourguiginon and buttered egg noodles for dinner, so by the time they finished, all was forgiven and the treadmill stays! 


Monday I had the day off, I met Roy at 10:00 am so I slept in and skipped my conditioning- there was no way I was going to run around the gym, expending all my energy and arrive at BodyComp too tired to train hard. We went longer, his 11:00 cancelled so he said we would keep going. I spent the afternoon prepping food and at 4:30 climbed on my new toy. I started up my Kindle Fire and a movie, 30 minutes went by so fast! I am going to have fun with this.

Week 10 to Competition (start of diet)

Let the conditioning begin!

I am officially "on the diet" and counting down (or is it up?) to my next competition on May 5, 2012.

That's 10 weeks away. 

For those of you who have not followed me on the journey, I will explain the process. Each weekend I will take photos of all sides in my competition suit and I will post them on Tuesday. You will see me from start to finish.


This is much different than most people on the Internet. Most only show you pictures when they are at their best, when they have dieted down and are photo-shoot ready.


Not me! I take new pictures every week, so you see me as I look in the moment! I think it is very important for people to understand that we all have to work to get where we want, and if you can see me make changes every week then you can do it too!


In these pictures I am still holding onto vacation "bloat". I just spent a week in Mexico eating and drinking every single day, and when I say "eating and drinking", that means fried foods, chips, guacamole, alcohol, fatty meats, you name it.  I did not adhere to my usual clean diet and my body reflects that. And...I haven't been dieting!


Actually, my second night back I started to adjust, and the water just kept releasing, I was up all night long peeing- I think I must have gotten up at least 10 times (seriously). My body had been retaining water and as I got back to no alcohol and a clean diet, and very little starches, it started to release the water and toxins.


These pictures were taken Sunday, February 26, 2012. I am at 126.8 pounds.


I will discuss my new diet over the next few weeks, and although I am not making drastic changes I am making changes. Each competition and the months following I learn more about my body, what works and what doesn't.

Here you can see that the waist needs to come in, abs need to show, right now they look fine for "walking around" but not for standing on stage!

Again, you can see the stomach, it needs to be flat and concave, not convex! Ribs really should be more prominent, glute and hip area are holding on to a small layer of fat. 

I will have to start in on the back twice a week again, while I have some broadness, the V taper is not where it should be, although when the waist comes in that will appear more prominent. Some back fat will need to be shed also, I don't see any definition. The glute-ham tie in isn't as bad as the start of the diet from my last competition, once I drop the fat it will look smoother and tighter, I am pleased to see I don't have big "smileys" , I think I have Roy to thank for that- we have been working on my hamstrings quite a bit!

 The delts will need some more work to really pop (but don't forget I was off lifting for a week). 

And the smile is always hard, this get up isn't very comfortable! Besides the 5 inch Lucite heels that are mandatory, you have a custom made suit that is small. 

 Above is the front of the bottoms. High sides huh?

 Then the back (ha ha- its as small as the front!) with two plastic clips to hold the top back straps onto it, so everything gets cinched up together.

The top, well I suppose these are bigger for some gals.....


That's it, I am so excited to be launching into another adventure and to have you all following along! 

Monday Morning Motivation

"The great opportunity is where you are. Do not despise your own place and hour. Every place is under the stars, every place is the center of the world."

 -John Burroughs

"Live your life each day as you would climb a mountain. An occasional glance towards the summit keeps the goal in mind, but many beautiful scenes are to be observed from each new vantage point."

 -Harold B. Melchart

"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." 

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

"A man would do nothing if he waited until he could do it so well that no one could find fault."

 -John Henry Newman

"Things do not change; we change." 

-Henry David Thoreau

"Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible."

-St. Francis of Assisi

"It’s not that some people have willpower and some don’t. It’s that some people are ready to change and others are not."

 -James Gordon

"You have to get to the point where going for it is more important than winning or losing." 

-Arthur Ashe

David

So I said I would see you in a week but here I am blogging from my phone.......David is sitting next to me, on alaska airlines in first class already relaxed....and when we get to Mexico (after the somewhat tense car drive north) and a big Margarita, he will be totally relaxed.

Me? I have been relaxed for hours!!!

Vacation Time!

It's almost "that" time. 

Diet Time

And the very, very odd thing is, I am looking forward to it! Can you believe it? Seriously! 


What I am looking forward to are the changes I will see in my body, this is the time when all of the hard work starts to show and become evident. I will start to lose the extra body fat that I have been carrying and the muscle will really start to pop! But of course, that won't be for several weeks will it?


I am in one of my favorite bikinis, that are made by Pin-Up Stars, an Italian company. I just tried it on today (Friday), before training with Roy to be sure I could still wear it on vacation, I think it looks fine don't you? I own 15. I know it's a bit overboard, but they make the most amazing suits. Each is unique, in limited editions every year;  covered in Swarovski crystals, sequins, feathers, beads, tufts, you name it. I have "Nemo" "rainbow", "hot pink", "targets"......This one has polka dots all over the string bottom, and then small cloth petals sewn all over the triangle top, they flutter in the wind.


They aren't cheap, but worth every penny in my mind. If you have been reading a while you know the story of one year during my annual trip to Mexico, many many years ago, my one Pin-Up Stars bikini was stolen during the night!  I was shocked and so upset. The hotel owner very kindly offered to give me one from the shop (I mean it certainly wasn't her fault was it?). As I waived my arms furiously in the air I was telling her that "it must be a very tiny, very small, very nice swimsuit because I don't bust my butt in the gym every single day to wear some old frumpy granny suit on vacation. 

It was plain brown, size large. hmph!

It has been an ongoing joke with the regulars, they all ask if I have locked my suits up in the safe deposit box every evening now. 


So when I returned home I started collecting them in every beautiful pattern and color I could find, hence the "15 Pin-Up Stars", and I am still collecting but only when I see a super hot one!


Here I am last year at this time, I like to compare my physique year to year. I think my shoulders are broader and my back wider now!

Every year at this time I go on vacation, I spend the week lounging on the beach in Troncones, Mexico at the same hotel, Hacienda Eden. Take a look at the link, yes it is right on the beach as the picture shows. I can see the ocean from my ground floor room, lounging in the hammock on the 14 foot patio (room #4).

I will lay on my chaise in the sand, (under a palapa, I am no fool!), drinking margaritas, wine or rum, eating whole red snapper, lobster, shrimp, taco's, and I will wander down the beach to The Inn at Manzanillo Bay for a couple pina coladas. 

I will try to eat healthy most of the time, but I will also enjoy myself, and not fret too much because I know as soon as I return home, the diet starts for the next 9 1/2 weeks.

When I return I will look a bit puffy since I don't typically drink alcohol everyday for a week, but getting right back on track will soon clear all that up.

One of the great things about Mexico is you really can make some good choices and still enjoy the food, but you can make some bad choices too. Like when we go to to Dona Nica's restaurant (no website, in fact, no floor, it's dirt), I will have her fantastic breaded and fried jumbo shrimp. And they are dipped in mayonnaise...and a beer or two. I sit with my feet in the dirt (hard packed), looking at the beach and just eat and sit. She makes great chile rellenos stuffed with mashed potatoes too.

I can also walk down to Marta's in La Majahua, a neighboring town and have fresh caught lobster- it takes a while because the divers go in search of the lobster after we order and start in on the beer!

I can drive to Cafe Sol to see Christain and have some fancy taco's (his are about $2.50 each whereas the stands sell 3 for $1.50). 


Mostly I will lay around and read though, I have a few good books and my new Kindle Fire loaded with all sorts of nutrition, diet, strength training and Milo journals. 


I have scheduled my massage with Anne, she lives in the U.S. half of the year and in La Majahua the other half, she sets up her table on my patio and I have a fantastic massage with the hot ocean breeze caressing my body. Did I say hot? Yes I did. The lows will be 71 degrees and the highs 88 degrees, perfect in my book!


My son is staying behind this time, it will be the first time in almost 18 years that he hasn't gone with us, but there really isn't anything to do so I can understand why he doesn't want to go. 


I will exercise, every single morning though. I wake up before everyone, well, not really, there is usually one or two surfers out at the point when I am there. I run along the beach and do plyometrics. I will actually be able to do my conditioning in the hard packed sand, it is low tide when I get up. After about an hour, coffee is ready, guests start to stir and I grab my spot and start reading until it's time to eat.


Then it is read, eat, rest, repeat. All day long.


I will see you all in a week!

Swinging

I am sure some of you are not thinking the same thing I am when I say "swinging", but that's just fine, think what you like!


Sunday was back day and I decided to sleep in, I have been enjoying my Sundays lately. So...I woke up at 5:55 a.m. oh well. I had my meal replacement drink and headed off to the gym.


I felt good, rested for a change and was ready to attack the day. I started with my favorite, chin ups and pull ups, superset with dips. Not sure how many sets, I think 7 sets of 6 to 8 chin ups, and 4 sets of dips (10 reps).


Lat pull down, I didn't increase weight but I did increase reps. I also cut my rest time down. Low Cable Row, again no increase in weight but more reps and less rest in between. I did 5 sets of each.

Single Arm bent Over Row, 5 sets.


E-Z Bar Curl, 5 sets.

Then, what would I do for conditioning? I decided to use the kettlebells. I haven't used bells in quite a while, I have done a bit of swinging and that was it.  Although I love training with Roy, kettlebells are what brought me to SC, that's all we did for almost a year. I love the down and dirty of kettlebells, there is nothing sweet and pretty about them. SC taught me everything anyone needs to know, and I am darn good too.


I get dirty, blistered, bloody, sore sweaty. I love them.


I started with Turkish Get Ups. This is a slow, steady move that targets the whole body, but particularly the core. You start laying on the ground and one hand has a KB, held straight up in the air. You sit up then stand, and go back down again, all under a great deal of control. It sounds easy and it's not. I did three sets of 4 on each side. I hadn't done them in over a year, I will need to start doing more and work up to 10 on each side.


Then snatches, I loves snatches. A couple years ago I spent the summer doing Kenneth Jay's Viking Warrior Conditioning. SC helped me come up with the correct tempo and weight. You start with a small bell and a fairly slow tempo, everything is timed including the rest periods. You work up to 45 minutes of continuous snatches. That's why the bell needs to be so light.


I wear cut up tube socks on my hands, I have permanent blisters but this stops them from tearing and bleeding. Once you start bleeding you pretty much need to stop. I have several sets in my bag, they get dirty and I toss them out. Below you can see a short demo of snatches in my backyard. February in California- nice huh?


(Email subscribers will need to navigate directly to the blog to view the video below).




At the gym I did 5 sets of 10 on each side, I walk in between to bring my heart rate down.


After the snatches I moved to swings. This is the classic kettlebell move and the one that most people don't perform correctly. I typically see people perform it in the "crossfit" method, which although may be useful for what crossfitters want it for, it is not what the move or exercise was intended for at all. This is not meant to offend anyone who loves Crossfit- I say do what you like. I am only trying to explain to those who do not know kettlebells, that if they see the 'crossfit" method they should not confuse this with the kettlebell swing. They are two completely different animals.


In crossfit it becomes more of an arm exercise, they swing it up with arm strength way up over the head; they may say that this is the "American Style".The swing is everything but that. It is designed as a  posterior exercise. It should hit the glutes, the hips, the hams, the quads, and the abs, and some of the back/shoulders too. Some crossfitters call this the "Russian Style".


The power should come from the hips, and the glutes. The arms are only an extension of the bell, they are attached and flowing with it, there is no effort coming from the arms.


(Again, if you want to do it crossfit style, that's fine, but I cannot offer advise, I am not into crossfit although I have plenty of friends who are.)


I did 10 sets of 10 with a 24 kilo kettlebell (that's 53 pounds). Again, I walk in between each set to bring my heart rate down. I knew I was doing them right, my breathing becomes very rhythmic and I could feel my glutes swelling after 5 sets! ha ha


I have my own bells, so can do these any evening in the backyard. I think I need to start this again.

Quads

Saturday I trained quads as usual. I also had a good day, I can tell when my physique is looking good by the comments folks make at the gym.


Roy told me to hit the Leg Extension first this time so I did. I always think this machine is useless, but I always use it the closer I get to a competition.


I suppose it has it's uses depending on what your goals are. As far as building big, meaty legs, this is not going to do it. But for cuts and definition, I think it is the way to go. 


I did several sets, as heavy as I could without arching my back and basically looking like I was writhing in pain. You really need to keep your eye on your form, so many people think that even though they are grimacing, twisting, writhing, and squeezing the handles with all their might, it's OK because they have a lot of weight on the machine. 


Nope- not really. The weight should be as heavy as you can lift with good form. So I concentrate on keeping a "pretty face" and my back square against the back rest, my hands lightly gripping the handles and I do not swing the weight.


Afterward I headed down to my favorite power rack. I warmed up and loaded up the weight, I was to do 4 sets of 10 back squats with 140 pounds. All the way down, no shimmy! 


I did it! ha ha ha! I think I still have a little shimmy though, but I am working on it.


Then on to the Leg Press, where I did 5 sets of 10 with 495 pounds. I need to work on adding yet more weight but I start to feel it in my knees and that's bad joo joo so I avoid anything that will cause potential pain.


I then need to do my walking lunges. I don't particularly care for lunges but they are a "must do". I am moving benches trying to make a wide open path and Ryan comes by with a client points at a piece of equipment and asks if I am using something. No, I am only trying to make a huge open space to walk with an Olympic bar and it just isn't happening today, so I will go to get dumbbells and walk down the hallway instead.


I tell him I am off to Mexico soon, going to fatten up before the diet. I ask if he has started his, he competes in bodybuilding and we will be in the same show in May. No, he hasn't started yet but he has been cutting back on calories. He said I  have maintained a fairly lean physique, my diet shouldn't be too hard. I agreed, I told him I have done a good job adding weight but not too much bodyfat. 


I start my lunges, and I have chosen 25 pound dumbbells although I am using heavier ones with Roy, but I have done more quad work today than he and I typically do at once. As I am resting in between sets I almost bump into Denise as we both pace about. We start laughing and talking about dreaded lunges. She shakes her head "You are still changing, your whole backside especially! It's working, you look good." "What do you see?" I ask.


"More muscle, but lean, really lean definitely more muscle, it really is working whatever you are doing."


We talk about diet and how I have been training hamstrings twice a week, and quads twice a week, I have really been working on my legs, my glutes are huge too.


I finish my lunges (3 sets of 15 on each leg) and head off to do some steady state cardio- I am going to get on the stairsteper because all the stairmills are full.


MJ, one of the female trainers waves me over. She is working with a client on a Nordic walker and wants to talk to me. "Do you have a competition coming up?" she asks. "No" I explain, "Not until May."


"You look god! really good, it shouldn't be a problem being ready by then." I then tell her I am going on vacation to Mexico soon, so I may look a bit softer after my return.


"Enjoy it!" she said. "You will have plenty of time to get hard and ripped".


And she's right.