Gym Junkie (sounds cool!) Or Just A Gym Geek - You Decide

Finally the time has come...it's been years and years and years and years...and a few more years....but finally...F.I.N.A.L.L.Y.!!!....my big brother has found the woman of his dreams and is getting married. It's been a very hard road for us all getting him to this point and we've tried to sell, barter, give and auction him off however his resistance has put most of the hopefuls off within the first few seconds. So November 2012 is pretty monumental for our family. Kris is getting married. In Rarotonga....WOOT BLOODY WOOT!!!! Good on you bro!! Nice way to both bankrupt and indulge us in one hit!! Totally excited. Will mean Rob doesn't get another weekend off until March 2015 however we are extremely happy and over-the-moon excited to head over.

 

So it's packing time as we head off to New Zealand for two weeks prior to the trip to Raro. Meanwhile we are building a house here in Katherine and we move in a couple of days after we get back. Did I ever mention that I'm sometimes a little extreme...and do quite a lot of things all at once and wonder how and why I planned it like that???? No? Well I am and I do. Remember that for future stories if you will. It'll stop me having to keep re-explaining my OCD tendencies.

 

So how does a big trip with lots of different stops with relatives and friends, flights into exotic islands that take us over the dateline (gain 1.5days on the way over - bonus!!) and fancy, rich, sometimes forbidden food - how does this all play out on my strict little health and fitness regime that I guard quite fiercely??! Well - in simple terms - it takes commitment and organisation. With both of these I'll come home unscathed and happy with where I'm at. Here is some of my packing items;

 

* trainers - OF COURSE!!!!

* three sets of my favourite training clothes (more likely to train if I like what I'm wearing)

* my hot pink training folder containing my most recent workouts and what weights I'm pulling, my workout planner so I know exactly what muscle groups I'm hitting and how often (also records how many chinups I do!), my training gloves, my training belt, my gymboss (can whip up a Tabata training session in 10secs flat with this!), and my basic nutrition guide of what, how much and when to eat.

* my small set of digital scales to measure oats and other grams (very helpful for nuts etc that are hard to gauge)

* my whizz stick (used for all smoothies/shakes because I use LSA, chia seeds and ice)

* my collection of new exercise mags - have been buying and stocking for reading on the plane

* blank paper for writing down all of my new and nasty ideas for clients & bootcamps

 

I've also researched the best looking gyms in the NZ towns we are going to. For the sake of a couple of dollars, I'd rather go and try a state of the art gym than the local suburban fitness centre (nothing wrong with them, just want to try something different!).

Rob and I have spoken about what we want to achieve on holiday and how we'll do it. No good reason to go backwards or even settle for maintenance. Why not just train as usual and throw in a couple of challenges as well.

 

So there will be groans and eye rolling and exasperated looks by some who read this. But fear not. It's no hardship for me. I LOVE IT!!! When I was in the Police I remember colleagues who travelled to the USA and joined up with the NYPD of LAPD for the night to see how they operate. I remember thinking how crazy it was to leave work on a holiday and then spend your time in policing activities. Now I realise - it was their passion! They loved it so it was natural to extend their interest into their holidays. And that's what it's like for me. I thrive on it. I'm not driven by some horrible need to work off calories (in fact, quite the opposite at the moment!), and I love learning new techniques and seeing how others in my field operate.

 

So until then it's training as usual. I'm getting heavier which means I'm getting my nutrition right. Eat little, train light. Eat more, train heavy. I'm shaking up the sessions a little with some Giant Sets (newly discovered - LOVE!!) meaning 4-6 exercises, maybe 10-12 reps, moving in a circuit style with absolutely no rest between. But not forfeiting weight for the style so it's heavy as possible. Talk about a sweatfest!

 

I'm also doing a fair bit of training with Rob in the Garage Inn at night. It's really hard to stay motivated when you aren't starting until 7pm - but we have it written in front of us and we just work through until it's done. Emotions don't come into it. Last night we did a late hamstrings workout and the thump in my legs is awesome and makes the later session worthwhile.

 

Ok - enough from me. I'm going to finish packing, do the school banking, get to a client, and come home to yet another late workout. Actually the last in the Garage Inn before we move to the bigger and better Muscle Inn. It's our new 'gym' at the new house. Well....not quite a gym....but if we slap up a few pictures and flick some sweat drops on the floor, it'll feel like home.

 

Have a fantastic few weeks. Never know - I might lay on a beach in Raro and ...update this blog from under a coconut palm...or maybe not!

Before I Knew It, I Was On The Training Wagon Yet Again!!

And that's the truth of it! After finishing the competitions in Darwin and Melbourne, I decided to have a rest from training. And I did. A good, solid, lazy, hazy, dreamy, pleasant .... 30 hours! And then I couldn't help but jump back into the iron room and hit the weights with huge enthusiasm and refound strength! Where did it come from? Food of course!! Oh what a difference food makes!! After weeks of 100grams of boiled chicken with copious amounts of fresh lettuce - I have come to appreciate what it means to have energy again.

So I took matters into my own hands and hit the gym at every given opportunity. I'm a little on the OCD side sometimes and the last month has seen it in high gear. I just want to workout and workout and workout - it's a little insane but hellishly fun!! I am confident that Sammy (my trainer) doesn't read this blog so I'll admit to around six weights sessions and up to four cardio sessions each week. This is nothing to be proud of to be honest, but I just wanted to indulge for a bit.

So with seven months out from the next comp, I knew it was time to return to my safe place and allow Sammy to guide me through my new goals. The main one being - to put on some decent size. When I peruse the photos I can see that I was as lean as I could be but didn't have nearly enough size around the shoulders and lats to be as competitive as I want to be.

So how do I achieve size? Eating. And eating. More eating. And a little fine tuning on how and when I train. So I'm trying to get through the whole eating thing without it tearing my mind up too much. Can I say that, for a female especially, putting on weight around the rump region is like.....getting sick on a public holiday!!! It sucks - to put it bluntly! And I can feel my bum filling out and my pants getting tighter, and all of those lovely quad muscles have gone into hiding again and taken my hamstrings with them!!! I worked so damn hard for those to pop and now I need to put them into voluntary hibernation for a few months. Boo bloody hoo!!!!

But it's all for a good cause because, along with the cleanest of weight gain, comes a little fat. There is no getting away from it. But that will go when the cutting hell starts all over again. Doesn't sound that appealing for the average person but I have to admit that I Love It!!! I love the thought of that big old challenge popping up all over again! The parts I hated have almost (I said ALMOST!!!!) been erased from my memory, and the thrill, adrenalin and excitement is what I remember most!

Why do I do this? Because I can. And because some can't. And that's what makes it exciting.

So where am I up to;

Food

I've been carb cycling for the past few weeks with low, medium and high days but now have a new food menu and need carbs each and every day to support the big workouts. As per usual, I eat six meals a day - some bigger than others - with a fair whack of protein going in with some nice clean carbs. I love my food and it's no hardship to stick to clean and wholesome stuff like veges, lean meats, rice, lentils & the like. This time I will heed Sammy's advice and make sure I have one cheat meal a week. This is to stimulate change in my system. I resisted this last time and paid the price when we went to cut as I didn't have enough of a contrast to make any immediate impact. One must listen to the advice of someone who knows best!!

Training

 

Pic following an Abs & Calves Workout in our garage - during 40 degree heat!!

 

The weights I'm lifting/pushing/pressing have gone up quite a chunk in the past month and I'm loving it! I've been going like a bull at a gate and smashing each muscle group as often as I can. However, Sammy has now given me some perspective and it's time to hit them with some definite strategy and consideration. Concentration is focused on lats, shoulders and legs and I'm hoping the change will be visible in the near future!! Chinups are now my friend. They are like my Glucosamine with MSM and Chrondroitin - I hate taking them but they are necessary!!! (Those pills are evil!!! They are laced with ginger and black pepper and taste like a fiery bullet!!).

The Rest

Posing will be something I focus on with a lot more effort over the next few months. I am more aware of what needs to be done and how I should achieve it and I have a few big changes to make. Heels on. Bikini at the ready. Mirror time!!!

I am looking at a new bikini already. I can't wear the beautiful green one again because the photos all look the same! Time for a new colour and style I reckon. Funny how something so little costs so much.

Okay - that's enough from me for now. I will check in again soon.

My next focus is to organise my holiday training while in New Zealand and Rarotonga over the next few weeks. Can't stop while we are away so will have to invent ways to keep it all going. Why can't I stop while on holiday? Because it's a way of life (exercising that is - not necessarily bodybuilding). And I can't stand that feeling of being inactive while away. I'm a nightmare to live with when sedentary for too long. In fact, right from the start of our relationship (14 years ago), whenever I packed a shit (not a word you smart arses!!!), Rob would come towards me with running shoes in one hand and a wine glass in the other and ask me to pick. 80% of the time I would go for the shoes followed by the glass. Nowadays it's 100% the shoes (or gloves & weight belt to be exact) and mostly I follow up with a shaker bottle rather than a glass.....but not always. Amazing what a good session does to fix up a bad case of the grumps. Even while on holiday.

Til next week.