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.