Carb Cycles

Good Morning, gym rats! Today’s entry is coming to you from my low-carb induced coma here at the office in South Portland. Brain. Is. Not. Functioning. Today. When I got to work and realized that I only had a hazy recollection of driving here I wondered, if I got pulled over would the cop buy my carb-cycling excuse? Today is really only the third day of my carb-cut (serving-wise I’ve cut from 6 to 3 this week) but looking back at my carbs for the week in grams, I’ve been pretty low since Sunday. One more day. I can do this. It’s like a mini peak-week. I haven’t made any typical peak-week changes like eliminating certain fatty proteins like steak and salmon or bloat-causing foods like dairy or even cutting-back servings of any other food group but I am definitely dragging! It’s also interesting to note that the carb-reduction definitely hurts my muscle recovery. Today is glutes day and my legs still hurt from both Monday’s leg sesh and doing the elliptical yesterday…and not in a “I got a great burn and am in growth mode” way but rather in a “I feel over-trained and need a break” way. Anywayyyy, with two photo shoots now confirmed for this weekend it will all be worth it! Saturday afternoon is a team shoot with a professional photographer (and I don’t want any core competition LOL) and Sunday afternoon is a solo shoot for the actual app exercises that is being shot by Kingsley. With temperatures projected to be in the 80’s and the shoots taking place outside on the Eastern Promenade of Portland, it should be a great time!

As I mentioned, today is glutes day and I will push through it sore or not. This afternoon’s weather is sooo going to call for a Dunkin Donuts iced coffee run which will definitely help me push through the pain! I might even treat myself to an iced latte instead (skim of course)! Today’s workout routine will be as follows:

-DB plié squats

-Standing side & back cable kicks

-1-legged DB bosu deadlifts

-1-legged hip bridges on the dyna disk

-Quad press machine

-MB pull-over crunches on a SB (or ball throws if I can get someone to throw it for me)

It’s going to be a great burn! I’m debating getting up an hour early tomorrow and getting in my cardio pre-work so that I can join some friends after work for Happy Hour (1 drink max of course) but we’ll have to wait and see if the legs are capable of 30 mins on the step mill when I wake up! I realized yesterday that I counted wrong and this weekend is actually 7 weeks out from the Yankee rather than 6. I’m feeling more of track now than I was when I last wrote a few days ago but maybe that’s just my brain malfunctioning at the moment. Either way, my metabolism is sure to rev up this weekend after my carb-load so I wouldn’t be surprised if I started leaning out faster this time around. This sport is such a crazy game! Well, back to it here. The A/C is blasting in here as usual and we just received a rude and reasonless e-mail telling us to hand-in our COMPANY-APPROVED space heaters. Trying to remain calm and think happy thoughts before I rip someone’s head off. GYM. GYM. GYM. BEACH. SUMMER. HEAT. CARBS! J

Boulder Shoulders

You guessed it, today is shoulders day. It’s also the last week of my May workout plan and an absolutely glorious (both sunny AND warm!) day outside. Having just returned to the office from 4 days away of lousy weather this is of course the last place I want to be right now. Alas, I am sitting here eating some delicious in-season (somewhere LOL) cherries and contemplating my workout for the night. The weight training portion is of course already planned-out but the question remains; “to do cardio or not to do cardio?” hmmm I’m not really feeling up for it as yesterday was legs day and 4 weeks into my plan those genie presses are still shredding my quads but as I’m now less than 7 weeks out from the Yankee Classic I’m starting to feel the anxiety of not leaning out enough, on-time. We’ll see though, if no cardio today then definitely tomorrow and I think it’s time to step-it-up from 20 to 30 minutes minimum per session. Ughhhh the thought makes me cringe. I am so not your typical cardio queen!

Sidenote: I don’t think I’ll do a summer show again in the future. Not being able to indulge in mass quantities of fresh fruit and Corona’s on the beach is really beginning to depress me.

Today’s shoulder session will consist of the following exercises:

Kettlebell swing squats

Bosu standing Arnold presses

Cable cross-overs

Front DB raises

BB curls to shoulder presses

DB standing side-to-side punches

I think I need to step-it-up with the weight while doing shoulders. It’s the one muscle group that I find nearly impossible to rip-up to the point of being sore the next day and it really disappoints me because it’s my favourite muscle group to work and I always feel like I’m getting a great workout while doing it. My goal of having “boulder shoulders” by July 20^th may not be fully fulfilled L 

Yesterday I wrote-out my June workouts and can’t wait to get started on them! I switched-up the days a bit, kept some of my favourite exercises and added-in some new ones. I also signed up for a 6 week MMA-style boxing class on Monday nights which I will count as an arm/core workout. I’ve always wanted to take a class like this and I’m hoping it will target some areas I don’t hit well with just weight training. This will be the new split for June:

Monday – arms/core

Tuesday – legs

Wednesday – back (and some bi’s)

Thursday – shoulders

Friday – cardio only

Saturday – glutes

Sunday – chest (and some tri’s)

Or at least I think that’s how I scheduled it (I don’t have my note cards in front of me). Instead of having a core-only day I have added 1-2 core moves at the end of each weight workout, usually something that also uses the same muscle group I’ve focused on that day. For example, on shoulders day the core move is teepees as you are relying heavily on your shoulders to balance in that move.

I’m guessing today is going to be a mad house in the gym as yesterday was a holiday and hardly anyone was in there. Unfortunately my shoulder workout is not conducive to headphone-wearing so I’ll have to turn on my “leave me the F alone” charm LOL. Maybe I’ll get lucky and the nice weather will keep people away. It’s supposed to be beautiful straight through the weekend which is great since Sunday is my first maXtreme photo shoot of the season and I am not going to be a happy camper if I have to model in my typical gym gear in the rain! We also may have a maXtreme team shoot Friday evening so I’m trying to keep the carbs extra low this week and then do a clean carb-load Friday night so my abs POP! on camera Hahaha Anyway, I hope all you Gym Rats enjoy the gorgeous week ahead and get in some good workouts! ‘Til next time, happy gymming!

Let The Countdown Begin!

Good morning Gym Rats and Happy Friday! It’s a beautiful day here in Portland; although I’m a little put-off as I realized this morning that the first official day of Summer is only one month away and Spring has barely arrived. I recall that this time last year Mugsy and I were going on nightly outdoor runs and coming home to cranked-up A/C! Oh well, running isn’t part of my routine these days anyway. Although I’m sure Mugsy would appreciate the additional cardio, as I drove along the Back Cove path yesterday and lunchtime and saw all the suffering, sweating, cramping runners chugging along I certainly did not wish to switch places!

Week #2 of my new workout plan is almost complete and it’s been just as satisfying as it was last week, causing a serious burn after every workout! It’s officially been 1 month “off plan” and this weekend I will begin my new diet in preparation for the next potential competition 8 weeks out. Time sure does fly! Someone jokingly asked me yesterday; “so can you relax now?” and I was like “uhhh I’ve been relaxing for the past month so you missed out buddy!” hahaha I’m excited to get back to a more structured schedule and see how much (if any) progress I can make toward my glute and shoulder-building goals. I feel like I’ve put on some muscle over the past month but only shredding back up will show the real results!  

Tonight I plan to only do 30 minutes on the stair-stepper and call it good. Friday is supposed to be my core training day and Sunday my cardio-only day but I have found that Friday, being the last day of the work week and the 5^th scheduled day in a row of weight training, is my most physically exhausted day of the week and therefore the best day to skip the weights. Plus, my weekend morning workouts are always the best so I’ll probably get in a better core burn on Sunday than I would today.

I wish I had some exciting fitness news to share with you all but honestly things have been rather low-key (borderline boring) this week. I did get my schedule for the next round of maXtreme photo shoots though (starting in June) so it looks like my weekends are quickly filling up this Summer. Even if I wasn’t planning to compete again this year, knowing I have the shoots coming up is motivation enough to follow a rigid nutrition and workout plan! This weekend is supposed to revert back to chilly temperatures so I plan to re-paint two of my upstairs rooms. I’m honestly not all that excited about it but once you get going it’s not so bad and it’s both time-consuming and a decent arm workout. Well, I guess that’s all for today’s entry. Keep up the good work this weekend Gym Rats and don’t forget to follow me both @PortlandGymRat and @FitFierceFun ! 

Train Insane

I wrapped-up week #1 of my new training plan this morning and I have to say, I killed it every day this week! I'm feeling stronger than ever and can't wait to see how things progress over the next few weeks. Perhaps it's all in my head as it's unlikely that I'd be noticing changes only 3 weeks post-show but I swear I've put on some mass already. I've started substituting one of my afternoon snacks (usually fruit or veggies) with an extra protein shake and upped my pre-gym creatine capsules from 1 to 2 since they don't seem to be hurting my stomach like the last time I took them and I think these minor adjustments might be giving me just the edge I needed.

Today was my back and chest workout which I started with 30 minutes on the stair-stepper. I haven't been doing much cardio these past few weeks but I ended up going out for a delicious Mexican dinner last night...which meant two unnecessary but oh-so-delicious cocktails...so I was feeling pretty guilty this morning and needed to clean the slate to start the weekend out right! I arrived nice and early at 7:30 so I beat the majority of the crowd and was able to get on my favourite step machine (some of them have quite temperamental headphone jacks)! Then after I managed to sweat up a storm and turn my once-straight hair into a frizzy humidified rat's nest, I busted out the following moves which took about an hour:
-Narrow grip chin-ups
-Lat pull-downs
-Incline DB flies
-Bent-over DB rows
-SB DB chest presses
-DB rear delt raises
-Cable flies
I've been getting most of my weight routines done in about an hour this week which is pretty sweet since I leave feeling like I kicked my own ass and didn't waste 90 mins+ working overly exhausted muscles like those stupid CSF routines required!

After a little stretching I left the gym around 9:30 and came home where I have had a highly productive day so far; I even got in some window trim painting that I've been procrastinating over for the past three years LOL! Painting's a bitch but it sure is a good arm workout! So far so good on the clean-eating front today as well. I made a yummy chicken breast, zucchini and yellow squash saute for lunch and plan to go out for some sushi tonight for dinner. Hopefully I can avoid the wine list this time :S

Tomorrow is supposed to be my "off" day or light-cardio day so I think I may give the rowing machine a shot if one of the only two are available when I get there. Although, I've become pretty skilled as of late at getting people to give up their machines for me so I guess I'll just pace around and glare at them if need be until I'm able to move on in and claim my territory hahahha!

Anyway, whether you are a seasoned fitness buff just looking to make a few gains or a novice trying to shed some Winter weight in time for Summer, remember two key things this weekend: 1) Diet is half the battle. You can work your ass off and still look like shit if you eat like shit (you are what you eat) and 2) TRAIN INSANE OR REMAIN THE SAME!!!!!! Happy Weekend, Gym Rats! Now, go get after it!

Constructive Criticism

It’s another glorious morning here. The sun is shining, barely a light jacket is needed, and I of course am locked inside my corporate prison amid both frigid temperatures and frigid personalities.

Its day #3 of my new workout split. It’s supposed to be my glutes-focused day but my quads are still so sore from Monday’s leg workout that I think Wednesday and Thursday (biceps & triceps) are going to have to be switched. Talk about some seriously delayed DOMS! I feel like I’ve been killing it in the gym this week. Every muscle I’ve worked so far is sore and I’m pounding out my workouts in record time. Also, eating more calories = increased energy = heavier weights = BIGGER MUSCLES! At least I tell myself that J Further, and I know this is going to sound funny, but I tend to workout harder when I think I look good…so the new Under Armour outfit I unnecessarily splurged on while shopping for something else on Monday (and wore yesterday) was totally worth the expense LOL!

Anyway, the subject of this entry came to mind this morning as I realized I had not yet discussed the feedback I got from the judges at the SOA (or at least I don’t think I have so if I have then I apologize for the duplication!). Now, we were told at the time that we wouldn’t be given any judge contact information since they were all so tied up still from past competitions; however, I realized when I returned home that I did already have the contact information for one of the judges (the MC) whom I promptly inquired with. He responded right away and told me that really the only thing he had written in his notes was that I could improve upon my posing. I just needed to find a way to twist my body into the most desirable angle for emphasizing my strongest points on stage. I guess this will just come with time and practice since I don’t really have a clue what to do differently at this point. All of the pics from the SOA have now been posted online though and looking at the group comparisons I can easily see how some of the girls who may not have been my top pics physique-wise definitely had the posing down.

That was the only feedback I was able to get until last night when I noticed that another judge had posted on the SOA Facebook page that he was willing to provide feedback to anyone interested. I of course jumped on this and a little while later he messaged me back saying that his notes included the following:

-He had pegged me as 3^rd in both categories (good since that’s better than the end result of 3^rd Novice & 4^th Open)

-A touch tighter on the glutes (no surprise here since it’s my #1 area of focus right now)

-A few random compliments which were nice but don’t really get me anywhere haha

-NEED MORE MUSCLE ALL AROUND, ESPECIALLY IN MY ARMS

Ummm did I just read that correctly? In all the feedback I’ve gotten from both shows, no one has said something like this, especially in all scary caps lock! I can’t say I disagree as my goal is of course to build more muscle but I guess I was a little put off by the “all around” comment. I mean, I personally think I rocked it in the abs department and looking at the other girls’ pics that is a true fact plain and simple. Okay, cockiness aside, I do appreciate the “constructive” criticism and I am happy that I finally found an OCB judge who is looking for muscle tone in the bikini girls. Maybe I still have a future in this organization after all LOL! I guess I just have to hope for more judges like this at future shows. Of course I’d never ask but now I’m really curious what he thought of the girl that won overall and got her pro card! I’m guessing she wasn’t his first pick…

Alas, 8 hours to go until I can work on those arms. The gym was nice and quiet yesterday so I’m expecting an influx of tools to be there tonight. They better stay away…this girl is on a mission! Stay strong this week gym rats; bathing suit season is approaching!

Monday Motivation

Good Morning Gym Rats! I hope all of you are off to a good start to your week by now. It’s a beautiful sunny day here in Portland, a little chillier than I would like, but I can’t complain seeing as I’m stuck here in the office all day anyway. It was a busy weekend for me and I think the stress of having a few too many items on my plate is starting to get to me as I’m battling a sore throat this morning. I always do this to myself, building lists upon lists of things to get done to the point where I become overwhelmed and give myself heart palpitations! Truthfully, not much of these tasks actually have to be done, at least not immediately, so I really stress myself out over nothing. Bring on the Airborne and green tea today (presently enjoying Yogi’s Green Tea Blueberry Slim Life)! I refuse to let a little unnecessary bug ruin my workout plants for the week.

Speaking of workouts, I spent some time on Saturday planning-out my workouts for the next four weeks as well as writing-out a schedule for when to make diet cuts assuming I do a show this summer. I’m still not committing (openly) to a summer show but there is one I am considering on July 20^th, the OCB Yankee Classic (another pro-qualifier). Since I’m already eating clean and in a good spot physique-wise, I am going to start cutting-back on May 20^th since that will be exactly 8 weeks out. I don’t want to peak too early like I did last time so I think the standard 12-week prep would be too much. As far as my workouts go, I wrote-out a weight training plan for 6 days/week with a strong focus on glutes since that is my #1 area to target. For now, I will keep cardio at 3 days/week in only 20 minutes segments and then ramp it up as necessary on May 20^th and then again four weeks later. Here is the new weight-training split for the next month:

Monday: Hamstrings, Quads, Glutes

Tuesday: Shoulders
Wednesday: Glutes

Thursday: Biceps & Triceps

Friday: Core

Saturday: Back & Chest

Sunday: Cardio only or a make-up day if I was unable to complete one of the prior days’ workouts

I have a couple random exercises, mostly additional core work, sprinkled among different days but that is the basic plan that I’ll stick to. It’s nice to plan it out myself as opposed to using the CSF plans since now I won’t have to modify anything to suit my needs. Customized workout plans are by far the best way to get a plan that a) you will enjoy, b) you will stick to and c) will work for your desired results….another reason you should sign-up for your own at www.fitfiercefun.com or at least share my website with anyone you know who may be interested J

On Saturday I also met with the maXtreme creator for a fitting for the next maXtreme app photo shoot that will be sometime in the next couple of months. There will be two new apps coming out, one concentrating on the business traveller looking for workouts to do when no gym is available, and the other focusing on kettle-bell routines. This time around we get to keep the clothing to wear to workout and use as free advertising – it’s a win-win for us all!

Well, I should at least pretend to do some work here for a bit. I’m giving it about 15 minutes before I’m ready to poke my eyes out with my pen. T- 7 hours ‘til I can skedaddle! I hope you all had a good weekend, didn’t drink too many Cinco de Mayo margaritas, and are ready to kick some serious fitness ass today! In case your thoughts are teetering back-and-forth on whether to hit-up the gym today, here’s a little kick-in-the-ass to help you decide. We’ll call it your Monday Motivation J